


I'll Be There (Narry AU)

by ohcrapnarry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Elounor, Fluff, M/M, More Fluff, Narry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-08
Updated: 2013-10-21
Packaged: 2017-12-28 20:29:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 39,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/996237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohcrapnarry/pseuds/ohcrapnarry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is the typical nerd. He got bullied a lot in high school and that had left scars on Harry's self-esteem and trust. He goes to University and hopes on a better life than he had in high school. Then, he meets Niall. Niall is the boy who works in the record shop and who can't go to uni because his parents can't afford it. They become friends and Harry and Niall learn more about each other. Oh, and somewhere along the way they also fall in love...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Harry; After finally graduating and getting into university, he was happy that he could start over again. His high school years weren't very pleasurable. He was bullied a lot and he was a so-called nerd. He had a few friends, luckily, and they helped him through high school. But now, he's going to university in London and no one will be there to help him or protect him. His friends all went to other universities so he's alone now. Again. But he's determined to make the best of it and he's positive that university will be better than high school.

Niall; Not a very popular boy, but also not shy. He used to live in Mullingar, Ireland, but was forced to move because of his abusive ex-boyfriend. His father, mother and brother came with him and they are trying to get their life on track again. He wants to go to university but he can't afford it. So he works in a record shop in the centre of London for a year to earn his money.

What happens when two worlds collide?


	2. Chapter 2

''Mom, I have to go!'' Harry yelled, and waited impatiently for an answer.

 

''Yes, I'm almost done. Don't worry! We'll be there on time, I promise,'' his mother tried to put on her shoes as fast as she could and hurried to the door where Harry stood with his suitcase.

 

Harry opened the door and took a deep breath. He had already said goodbye to his sister and father the day before because he knew he had to leave early. But his mom insisted on bringing him to the train station and Harry was actually relieved that he wouldn't have to go alone.

 

The ride to the station was silent, but not uncomfortable. Harry's mother, Anne, didn't bother to start a conversation with Harry. She knew that if she tried, Harry would get even more nervous. And although Harry pretended like he wasn't anxious for his new school and new surroundings in London, Anne knew Harry better than anyone so it wasn't like she didn't saw his shaking hands and nervous movements.

 

''Okay, sweetie, we're here. Don't forget to have fun!'' Anne said when they reached the station after a short ride.

 

Have fun, Harry thought, have fun... Harry sadly thought about all the insults that had been thrown at him everytime he walked through the hallways if his high school in Holmes Chapel. He pushed his thoughts away and smiled at his mother, convincing her that he'll be okay even though Harry himself wasn't so sure about that yet. 

 

''I'll try, thanks mom. I'll call you when I have time today,'' Harry answered and with a kiss on the cheek and one last hug, he stepped out of the car.

 

He wanted to have fun but it was difficult after all he had been through. High school had been rough for him and he was glad he had survived it with the help and support of his little group of friends. But his friends were gone now, and he was on his own. They had promised to keep in contact but Harry wasn't really sure if that promise was going to be kept. 

 

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The monotone voice of the woman he heard through the intercom told him his train to London had 5 minutes delay. Harry sighed but didn't complain. Now he had just enough time to grab some coffee.

 

So he walked to the little shop on the train station and ordered some black coffee. It was seven in the morning but his first class started at ten and he wanted to be sure that he had enough time to travel to London and find his dorm. He didn't have a roommate, and Harry was glad he didn't. His social skills were not very spectacular and he wanted to start the year without embarrassing himself on the first day. He wanted a fresh start.

 

When the train arrived, Harry made his way to the silent coupe and searched for his book in his backpack. When he found it, he sat back in his chair and made himself comfortable. The train ride to London was about 2 hours, but they flew by and when Harry looked up from his book for the first time since he got on the train, he noticed that he was already nearing London.

 

He tucked away his book and stood up. He threw his empty coffee cup away on his way to the train doors. It was busy on the train station of Central London and Harry didn't really like busy places. It made him anxious, like he couldn't breathe. So he braced himself as he stepped out of the train and tried to stay as calm as possible. He followed the signs that said 'exit' and hurried outside.

 

The cold air hit him as he stepped outside. It felt good, he could breathe again. Harry reached in his bag and grabbed a map of London. He had been a few times in London but he needed his map to find the exact place of the university. He had already marked the route so he began walking in the direction of where he could find his new home.

 

After about twenty minutes of walking through the busy streets of London, Harry reached his university. The University of London was painted in big letters on the building. It looked huge and Harry couldn't wait to explore the whole place.

 

So he stepped inside and admired the beautiful structure of the inside of the university. He walked to a desk with a lady behind it and asked for his dorm key. He filled in some papers and got a map of the school. On the map were 4 buildings. They were all marked with a color and on the drawing of each building was written in black ink what classes were given in that building. There was also one other smaller building next to the 4 bigger ones. Library, was written on it. 

 

 

The halls were high and wide. It made him feel comfortable and free. There was a lot space and people seemed to mind their own business. They didn't look at him in disgust and they didn't laugh at him, like they did on high school. The students just ignored him and walked past him. Harry didn't mind at all that no one was talking to him or noticing him. He could do whatever he wanted and no one would care. He saw some other young students who were probably also here for the first time. Harry wasn't the only one who was kind of scared but also excited. He felt safe knowing that. 

 

He reached his dorm and opened it with the key. The room was not very big but it wasn't small either. It was perfect. There were two beds with on one side of each bed a nightstand with one drawer in it. There were two desks and two closets. The dorm was made for two people to live in but Harry had the luck that he was alone because there was no one to room with. But maybe that would change during the year. Harry decided not to worry about that now. The bathroom was small but there was a shower, a sink and a toilet and that was enough.

 

Harry grabbed his suitcase and began to unpack his things. He had a feeling this was going to be way better than high school and he was excited to go to his first class and meet all the new people. For the first time since long ago, he felt like he could do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have to admit, the first few chapters are a bit crappy. But they get better and longer! haha xx


	3. Chapter 3

Niall stepped in his new house and looked around. It wasn't very big but he was still eager to find his new room. His house in Mullingar wasn't much bigger either. And Niall didn't need much, his family and friends were the most important to him. He was eager to choose his new room but just as he was about to walk up the stairs, someone called his name.

 

"Hey! Niall! Come help us! You can explore the house later," his father ruffled his hair affectionately. Niall nodded smiling and together they walked back outside.

 

Everyting was stalled out on the driveway, except for the furniture. Boxes with clothes, books, cutlery and a lot more. Niall's mom was already trying to organize the boxes, marking them with a marker and putting them in groups to make it easier to tell them apart. The van with all the furniture hadn't arrived yet so there was really no point in putting everything in the house.

 

After a few minutes, the van drove around the corner. Five men stepped out and began unpacking the furniture and brought them inside while Niall's mother, Maura, gave them directions. Niall stood back and watched how the strong men lifted the couch without much effort. His brother crept up behind him and slapped Niall on his shoulder, making him jump.

 

"Bring this upstairs, lil' bro," he said while pushing a box in Niall's hands. 

 

Niall loved his brother very much. He was always there for him and it was nice to have a role model like his brother. When Niall's ex-boyfriend began to be more aggressive, Greg was the first person he had gone to.

 

It was a difficult period for all of them. Niall felt guilty for moving his family to England but it was for the best and he knew that. His parents reassured him that he shouldn't worry about them but more about himself. He had to get his life on track again. And he was determined to not let his past destroy his future.

 

He had already searched for a job via the internet. He had found one in the middle of London, about a half an hour away from his home. It was a record shop and his application was tomorrow. He had always liked music. He played guitar and sometimes, but it was rare, he'd sing in front of his family or close friends.

 

He carried the box upstairs and walked around, opening every door and imagining what it would look like when everything was unpacked.

 

"Have you already decided which room you want?"

 

Niall jumped and turned around in a swift motion. His mother stood in the doorway with a smile on her face. She had been watching Niall for a while as he discovered the rooms. She was so proud of her son. Like every mother would be. She was scared Niall would not recover from what had happened to him. But after seeing him like this, all excited and ready to start over again, she gained some more hope that everything would work out.

 

"Yeah, I'd like to have this one," he answered as he gestured with his arms to the room he was standing in.

 

"That's alright, you can start unpacking your things when your bed and dresser are brought here," his mother kissed him on his cheek and walked away.

 

Niall stayed in his room and waited for his furniture. He walked to his window and looked outside. It looked pretty with the flowers and the little playground. The playground was deserted though. But it looked so peaceful. It was what Niall needed. A peaceful place without drama and boyfriends and love and all that stuff. Niall had decided he was done with love. All it did was hurt him and that's not what love is supposed to be like. Although, that's what he thought love was not supposed to be like. Love was supposed to be nice and cuddly and happy and without all the drama and pain, right? Niall didn't even know anymore. He kept his eyes on the swing that was slowly swaying back and forth. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even hear that is bed and dresser were already placed in his new room.

 

Niall pulled his eyes away from the playground and walked downstairs. There,he grabbed a few boxes with his stuff and balanced them in his arms. He carried two, and carefully walked upstairs. He plopped the boxes on his bed and opened them. A few posters were on top. The posters were a bit old but he still liked them and he was planning on hanging them up again. The walls of his bedroom were plain white, but that was a good thing because now the posters would fit perfectly in his room.

 

After a few minutes of unpacking, his stomach grumbled. So Niall went downstairs and made himself a sandwich with the products he could find. He leaned back against the counter once he was done and looked around for a bit. A few minutes later, his brother walked in. 

 

''How are you?'' Greg asked.

 

''I'm good thanks, I really like the new house,'' Niall answered while he stuffed his face with the sandwich.

 

''Good, I like it too,'' Greg said while trying to make his smile as genuine as he could.

 

Niall felt really bad for him. He had to leave all his friends back in Ireland. Greg always tried not to show Niall how he really felt about the move to London. But Niall knew his brother just as good as his brother knew him.

 

A few hours passed and the house was now almost fully decorated with furniture and other stuff like flowers and photos. They sat around the table for coffee and talked about their day and their new house. Around eleven, Niall grew tired so he said goodbye to his parents and brother and went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be an exciting day. He was very excited for his application and hoped it would turn out for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I'll post another chapter today! Just comment if you want me to :) x


	4. Chapter 4

Harry walked into his classroom. The room was not very full yet, only a few spots were taken. He chose a spot on the third row and sat down. As he waited for the rest of the students to enter, he looked around. The classroom was quite big and there was a long desk in the front. The teacher hadn't arrived yet and slowly all the students had taken a seat. There was a girl and a boy next to Harry. The boy had brown hair and was about Harry's height. The boy was rather attractive, Harry noticed. The girl had also brown hair and Harry decided she was very pretty. The teacher came in and motioned for the students to introduce themselves after he had put his bag behind the desk.

 

Apparently, the boy next to Harry was Louis. He was 21 years old. The girl's name was Eleanor and she was 20 years old. Harry said his name and age without stuttering and making a fool out of himself.

 

Thank God, Harry thought.

 

"Hey, psst," Harry felt someone poke his side. Harry squirmed in his seat and turned his head to the boy, Louis, next to him. The teacher had told them to make a conversation with the person next to them, but Harry was too shy to actually do that.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I'm Louis," he said.

 

"Uhh, I'm Harry..." Harry awkwardly answered, avoiding eye contact.

 

"How are you, mate," Louis excitedly asked.

 

"Uhm, I'm good, I guess," Harry asked himself why Louis was talking to him. He could've talked to anybody. Why did he chose him? And called him mate. They only had just met. "What about you?"

 

"I'm great! Thanks," Louis seemed to relax and began to ramble to Harry about his last school and how he was the captain of the football team.

 

Harry wasn't really listening. He was shocked that this boy was talking to him like they had known each other for years. He wasn't used to this and felt a bit uncomfortable but Louis didn't seem to notice and went on with his rant about, well, nothing important really. After a few minutes of Harry listening and Louis talking, the girl, Eleanor, invaded in their conversation. Louis and Eleanor seemed to get along well and Harry just sat there watching, listening and sometimes laughing.

 

The rest of the day went by quickly. Harry already loved his new school and had a few classes with Louis and sometimes with Eleanor. They didn't have homework yet since it was the first day so Harry went to his dorm to properly unpack his things and put them in the right places. A few hours later he fell exhausted on his bed. He lazily stripped down to his boxers and crawled under his blanket. He thought about his day, and about Louis and Eleanor, and about what tomorrow would give him. With a smile on his face, he fell asleep.

 

\----

 

Niall woke up to the sound of his alarm. 9.00 AM. Time for his application at the record shop. So he stepped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He took a quick shower and went downstairs. A note was attached to the fridge.

 

Good luck today! I'm sure you'll be okay! xxx Mom 

 

Niall smiled. His mom had already gone to work today. She could easily transfer to another location, luckily. Niall was glad he hadn't caused more problems by making his mother change work. He knew she loved her work. His dad was still in bed. He had searched another job and had, after a few days of searching, found one. Greg transferred schools. He was already in college and he had worked a year to be able to pay it with the help of mom and dad. And Niall planned on doing the same; work for year and then go to University. 

 

Niall ate his cereal and brushed his teeth. With one last look in the mirror, he was ready to go. It was chilly outside, but Niall didn't mind. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept walking. He arrived at the underground at 10 AM. He had a half an hour to get there because his application was at 10:30 AM. Fortunately, Niall had been in London a few times. So he kind of knew how the underground worked. He bought a ticket, walked to the big map and searched for his line. He found it quickly and walked in the indicated direction. He stepped in the metro and the vehicle started to move.

 

After about 15 minutes he left the underground and started to search for the record shop. He followed the signs and after a few minutes he found the shop. He was a couple of minutes to early but that gave him the opportunity to look around in the shop. The shop was quite big and there were records everywhere. Sorted by genre, name or popularity. He walked around for a bit and came to a halt at the counter. A boy stood behind the counter and looked at him with friendly eyes. 

 

''Can I help you?'' the boy asked politely.

 

''I'm Niall Horan. I came for the application,'' Niall told the boy.

 

''Oh, hello! I heard about that. Come this way. I'll bring you to Mr Bright's office,'' the boy turned around and walked to the back of the store and opened a door. A man sat behind a desk, working on some papers. 

 

''Niall is here to do the application, sir,'' the boy told the older man.

 

''Let him come in. Thank you, Liam,'' the man, probably the owner, told him; Liam.

 

Liam opened the door for him and Niall stepped inside after a quiet 'thank you'.

 

''Hello, Niall. Take a seat,'' Mr Bright smiled at him and motioned for him to sit on one of the chairs in front of his desk. ''How are you today?''

 

''I'm fine, sir. Thank you. How are you?'' Niall tried to be as polite as possible. He really wanted this job.

 

''I'm good, Niall, thanks for asking. Alright, I read your application letter and I like your motivation. You want to go to University, I read?''

 

''Yes, that's why I want to work here. I want to go to University with the money I earned here. And I love music so this is a great combination,'' Niall grinned. His nerves vanished and he felt comfortable talking to Mr Bright. 

 

''That's nice to know! Tell me something about your other jobs. Did you have other jobs?''

 

Niall answered every question truthfully and in about 20 minutes he walked out of the office. 

 

''Thank you for your application. I will call you tomorrow and let you know the result,'' Mr Bright shook his hand and walked him to the exit of the store. Niall waved shortly at Liam on his way out and Liam smiled in return. Niall liked it already here. The people were all so nice. 

 

''Thank you, Mr Bright. I'd love to work here,'' Niall left the shop and made his way home. On his way to the underground, he walked past The University of London. He watched the building with longing eyes. He couldn't wait to go to University and make new friends.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Niall wakes up to the sound of his phone. He glances at the clock with sleepy eyes. 1.34 PM.  _Wow, did I really sleep that long?_ Then he remembered that the phone was still ringing. He scrambled out of bed and ran to his phone that was thrown on his desk. 

 

''Hello?''

 

''Hello, Niall. You're speaking with Mr Bright.''

 

 _The application!_  Niall thought. ''Oh hello, how are you, sir?'' he tried to contain his nerves. He really wanted to know the result but he didn't want to sound too eager. So he settled for a small talk.

 

''I'm good. Thank you. I'll tell you my decision know. I think you'd like to know.''

 

Niall swallowed and crossed his fingers. 

 

''Congratulations, you got the job!''

 

Niall silently fist pumped and almost did a happy dance. But he decided against it since he was still on the phone with Mr Bright. '

 

''Thank you so much! When do I start?''

 

''You can start tomorrow. I'll email you the details and we'll discuss the rest tomorrow.''

 

''Thank you again, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.''

 

''Bye, Niall.''

 

The beeping noise indicated that the conversation was over and Niall sighed happily. He couldn't wait for tomorrow. He ran downstairs where he found his parents and hugged them both. 

 

''I got the job!'' he yelled excitedly.

 

''Congratulations!'' his mom hugged him again and kissed his cheek. ''I'm so proud of you.''

 

Niall grinned and hugged her back. His father patted him on his back and joined the group hug. Niall felt happy and thought to himself that this was the first step to a new life.

 

\----

 

Harry sighed heavily and closed his book. ''How can they give so much homework already, it's only the third day,'' Louis complained. Louis and Harry were making homework in the library. Well, actually, Harry was making homework in the library and Louis just kind of sat next to him and decided that they were making homework together since they had a lot classes together. Harry didn't protest. He kind of liked the company.

 

''Yeah, I know...'' Harry was still awkward around Louis. Oh who was he kidding, he was awkward around  _everybody_. But Louis ignored Harry's awkwardness and continued to complain about his oh so difficult life. Harry was about to make Louis shut up when Eleanor sat down next to him.

 

''He's annoying, isn't he?'' It wasn't really a question. It was more a statement, but Harry agreed. Louis  _was_  annoying, but also nice. It was a weird combination. 

 

''Are you done with studying?'' she asked.

 

''Yeah, we're done,'' Louis interrupted.

 

''I think Harry can speak for himself,'' Eleanor sassily commented. That made Louis shut up. 

 

 _They'd make a cute couple,_  Harry thought.

 

''Yeah, we're done,'' Harry answered, repeating Louis answer.

 

''Alright! We can go into town and just walk around for a bit. I'm bored,'' Eleanor didn't wait for an answer but pushed Harry out of his chair, grabbed Louis arm and guided them outside.

 

London was nice. The city is quite big and it's busy but it's nice. Harry liked it. While Louis and Eleanor were gushing over everything they saw, Harry walked quietly behind them. Admiring everything in silence. That was, until he saw a record shop. Harry had always loved music. He could sing a bit, not that he had ever sung in front of someone. But he liked to sing when he was alone. Harry stopped walking and Eleanor and Louis turned around with a questioning look. 

 

''I want to go there,'' Harry said confidently.

 

''Sure, Come on!'' Louis agreed. They crossed the road and stepped inside.

 

Harry walked to a box with records and looked around for a bit. After flipping through a few boxes he heard someone talk to him.

 

''Can I help you with something?'' A boy with baby blue eyes and blonde hair asked him.

 

Harry was caught off guard and had to stop himself from drooling. Because,  _god_ , this boy is beautiful. Harry stood there looking at the unknown boy until the boy coughed awkwardly.

 

Harry turned bright red. ''Uhh… Right, yeah, I-I'm-... Uh...'' Harry stuttered. Not wanting to embarrass himself more, he looked at the ground and hoped his face would lose its red color. 

 

''It's okay,'' the boy giggled. ''I'm Niall.''

 

''Uhh... Harry,'' Harry looked up again and saw the boy,  _Niall_ , with an amused smile on his face. 

 

''So, can I help you with anything?'' Niall asked again.

 

''No, I was just looking around, thanks,'' Harry tried to smile and searched for his friends. He saw Louis and Eleanor talking to another boy. 

 

''Do you come here often?'' Niall asked.

 

''No, this is my first time here. I go the The University of London.'' Harry answered, trying not to be too awkward. 

 

''Oh, nice,'' Niall answered and Harry smiled. Harry sneakily eyed Niall as the other boy tried to find other things to talk about. Niall was about his height and was probably about the same age. He looked very attractive and suddenly, Harry had the weird urge to kiss Niall. As soon as the thought entered his head, he turned bright red. How could he think that? He didn't even know the boy with the most beatiful smile in the world.The uncomfortable silence continued and Harry turned his gaze to his friends again.

 

Niall noticed Harry looking. ''That's Liam, he's really nice. Do you wanna meet him?'' Niall didn't wait for an answer. He just wanted to escape the most awkward conversation in the history of awkward conversations. So he walked in the direction of Liam and Harry followed him.

 

''Hey Harry! This is Liam. He's my cousin,'' Eleanor said.

 

''Oh cool, I'm Harry,'' Harry gave him a short wave. He turned to Louis en Eleanor. ''We should go; I have an assignment to finish. He grabbed their arms and pulled them outside.

 

''Bye guys! Let's meet up sometime!'' Liam called after them.

 

''I'll text you!'' Eleanor said and waved goodbye.

 

Harry sighed relieved when they stepped outside. ''Why did we have to leave? We were having fun,'' Louis whined.

 

''Because I just had the most embarrassing, awkward conversation with the blonde boy, Niall,'' Harry replied.

 

''Aw, he was cute!'' Eleanor stated. 

 

''Well... yeah, but it was still awkward...'' Harry felt his cheeks warm up.

 

''Ohhh, you  _like_  him,'' Eleanor giggled.

 

''I didn't say that!'' Harry said offended. ''Right, Louis?''

 

Harry looked at Louis with pleading eyes. ''I don't know, man. Why are you blushing? Is it because you have a little crush on Niall?'' Louis teased and pinched his cheeks.

 

''Ugh, I don't have a crush on him!'' Harry turned around and stomped back to his dorm. He didn't want to have a crush on Niall. He made that mistake last year and that didn't end well. He wanted to have a fresh start without bullies. He sighed.  _But Niall is so cute..._ Harry ignored his thoughts and grabbed some unfinished homework. 


	6. Chapter 6

While Harry tried to forget about Niall, Niall found himself getting curious. He wanted to know who the boy was with the brown curls and beautiful green eyes. As soon as he saw the handsome boy walk into the store, he knew that maybe, just maybe, he liked the boy. But that was ridiculous because they hadn't even had a properly conversation. And Niall had a rough past with boyfriends. He was planning on being single for a while but that was hard when that cute guy got all nervous and awkward when they talked. Niall walked to Liam who was reading a magazine behind the counter. 

 

''Hey, Liam?''

 

''Yes?'' Liam tore his eyes away from his magazine and looked at Niall.

 

''Do you know that boy with the curly hair?'' Niall tried to be subtly. He didn't want to sound too needy.

 

''Nah, I don't know him. I only know Eleanor since she's my cousin, you know. Why?'' Liam answered. When Niall didn't answer right away, Liam got a knowing smile on his face. ''Ahh, the curly haired one, hmm... He was kinda hot, wasn't he?'' Liam smirked.

 

Niall blushed and looked away. ''Uhh... Well... I don't know... I guess...'' Niall stammered. ''Well, I gotta go do... something... so... yeah, bye,'' Niall said quickly and walked away from Liam.

 

Liam grinned and saw right through Niall's lies. He grabbed his phone and texted Eleanor.

 

_**To Eleanor:** _

_Guess who's got a cruuuush ;)_

 

_**From Eleanor:** _

_Hmm... Same here. Harry is in deNIALL though ;D_

 

_**To Eleanor:** _

_Well, maybe we should do something about it._

 

_**From Eleanor:** _

_Yeah, maybe we should. I think Louis would like to help._

 

_**To Eleanor:** _

_Alright, let's meet up and discuss our plans._

 

_**From Eleanor:** _

_I'll see you in 5 min at Starbucks around the corner._

 

_**To Eleanor:** _

_See you there. Bring Louis!_

 

_**From Eleanor:** _

_I will! x_

 

Liam put his phone away with a satisfied smile on his face. He watched as Niall shuffled through the records. He looked deep in thoughts. Liam glanced at the clock and saw that it was time for his break.

 

''Niall, I'm gonna go take a break. I'll be back in about 15 minutes. If it gets too crowded, call me, okay?'' Liam called to Niall.

 

''Yeah, that's okay. See you later.'' Niall called back.

 

Liam walked out of the record shop and in the direction of Starbucks. When he arrived, Louis and Eleanor were already there. They had already bought a cup of coffee and sat at one of the tables in front of the window. Liam bought a cup of coffee too and walked over to their table.

 

''So, how are we gonna do this?'' Liam asked.

 

''Hello to you too, Liam,'' Louis replied.

 

Liam rolled his eyes and turned to Eleanor.

 

''Hm... We could force them to go on a date?'' Eleanor suggested.

 

''Yeah, but they barely know each other,'' Liam pointed out.

 

''We could just have a sleep over and get to know each other,'' Louis proposed. ''We can go to my house; my parents won't be home this weekend.''

 

''Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Are you up for it, El?'' Liam answered.

 

''I don't know, I barely know you, Louis. Isn't it a bit weird to have a sleepover? We met, like, yesterday,'' Eleanor doubted. 

 

''Actually, we met two days ago and no, that is not weird. Harry will like it, he needs some friends and I'm sure Niall won't say no if he knows Harry will come too,'' Louis looked at Eleanor with puppy dog eyes and knew that she would fall for it.

 

''Okay, let's do it,'' Eleanor gave in. ''But we have to go now, our break is almost over,'' She threw her empty cup away and stood up, waiting for Louis to do the same.

 

''Alright, we'll text for the details. And I'll ask Niall if he comes. You ask Harry and don't take no for an answer. He has to come!'' Liam calls after them. He also finishes his coffee and walks back to the shop. Niall is still there organizing some boxes. 

 

''Hey, Niall, I just bumped into Louis and Eleanor and they ask us for a sleep over. Do you wanna come?'' Liam asked, trying to sound casual. ''Harry will be there too.''

 

Niall's head shot up at the mentioning of the boy's name. ''Yeah, I'll come,'' Niall smiled.

 

''Okay, cool,'' Liam smirked.  _This is going to be fun,_ He thought smirking. 


	7. Chapter 7

"Please, please, pleaaaase," Louis pouted and clasped his hands. Harry had ignored him until now. After a full day of whining from Louis he finally gave in.  
  
  
  
"Okay, okay! I'll come but, please, stop whining!" Harry said, slightly irritated.  
  
  
  
"YAY!" Louis jumped up and hugged him happily. Harry didn't really know what to do so he settled for awkwardly patting his back and quickly pulling away.   
  
  
  
"Okay, I'll text Eleanor to discuss the details. It's gonna be fun, don't stress, Harry," Louis smiled and grabbed his phone. Before he exited the dorm he smirked. "Oh and by the way, your crush will be there too," Louis winked and quickly closed the door.  
  
  
  
Harry's eyes widened after he processed what Louis had said.  _His crush_  will be at the sleepover too. His crush, meaning _Niall_. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. He wished he could turn back time and say no to the whole sleepover thing. But it was too late now. Harry sighed again and walked to his desk.  
  
  
  
His math books still lay open on his desk. He was struggling with math and was thinking about taking extra classes for math. He _had_  to pass the upcoming test. Just as he was about to give up, his phone rang.   
  
  
  
Harry walked over to his bed and picked up his phone. He checked the caller ID.  _Mum_. A smile appeared on his face as he put the phone to his ear.  
  
  
  
"Hello?"  
  
  
  
"Hi, sweetie! How are you?" the oh so familiar voice of his mum rang in his ears.  
  
  
  
"I'm okay, mum. Thanks. I really like it here." Harry sat down on his bed and forgot about his math problems for a moment. He just leaned back and talked to his mother like they used to do so much when he still lived home.  
  
  
  
"Really? Did you make some friends yet?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I did, actually."  
  
  
  
"Ohh! Tell me about them!" his mother gushed.  
  
  
  
And Harry did. He told his mum about Louis and Eleanor. And about the record shop and how Liam and Eleanor are cousins. He only let Niall out. He wanted to keep him a secret for a while.  
  
  
  
"And, has someone caught your eye yet?" Harry could almost feel his mother's curious gaze on him.  
  
  
  
"Uhm, w-well,"  _C'mon, Harry, just stop stuttering and deny everything_. "I don't know... Maybe..."  _Wrong answer._  
  
  
  
"Oh, who's the lucky lady?"  
  
  
  
Harry froze.  _Lucky lady_. How would his parents react if he told the he has a crush on a _boy_. Harry gulped.   
  
  
  
"Ehm, I gotta go now! Say 'hi' to dad for me. Bye!" Harry quickly hit 'end call' and threw his phone on his bed.  
  
  
  
He walked back to his desk and sat down. He sighed; he would worry about his parents another time. Right now, he had to focus on his math problems.  
  
  
  
\----  
  
  
  
"Niall! Stop that! You're making me nervous," Liam sat behind the counter while Niall paced around in the store. "Are you okay?"  
  
  
  
Liam's voice startled Niall and made him stop pacing immediately. He looked up, sighed and said, "I don't know."  
  
  
  
"You can tell me, you know. I'll keep it a secret if you want."  
  
  
  
Niall thought for a moment. He decided he could trust Liam with this so he opened his mouth to tell him his secret.  
  
  
  
"Okay, so, promise not to laugh at me but I think you were kind of right..." Niall said vaguely.  
  
  
  
"What do you mean? What was I right about?" Liam asked with a confused expression.  
  
  
  
"You were right about my crush on Harry. Maybe I do have a crush on him." Niall lowered his head.  
  
  
  
"Then why are you so nervous? It's a good thing, right?" Liam smiled and patted his shoulder. He looked over Niall's shoulder and saw a few costumers. He walked past Niall and went to help the costumers.  
  
  
  
Niall sighed. He looked at the clock and saw that it was already almost closing time. He put a few last boxes away and yelled to Liam that he was leaving.   
  
  
  
When he came home, he was greeted by the lovely smell of dinner. He dumped his shoes and coat at the door and walked to the kitchen. There, he greeted his mother with a kiss on her cheek.  
  
  
  
"Hi, mom. What are you making?"  
  
  
  
"Hey, I'm making lasagne. Your favourite," she smiled. "How was your day?"  
  
  
  
"Really good! I like it here. The people are so nice! And I've already made friends," he told his mom excitedly.  
  
  
  
"That's great, sweetie. I'm glad you like it."  
  
  
  
"Oh and they asked me for their sleepover," Niall said as he stole a piece of tomato.  
  
  
  
"Oh, that's fast!" his mom chuckled.   
  
  
  
"It's on Saturday. I can go, right?"  
  
  
  
"Of course! Now, can you make the table? Your dad and brother will be here in a few minutes."   
  
  
  
Niall grabbed four plates and some knives and forks and laid them nicely on the table. After he was done he went to his room for a bit to finish the last boxes with his stuff.  
  
  
  
When he was done he plopped down on his bed and put his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and as much as he forced himself not to, the first thing he thought about was the curly haired boy. With his dimples, green eyes and awkwardness. A smile appeared on Niall's face.  
  
  
  
And for the rest of the night, that smile didn't disappear once.


	8. Chapter 8

Saturday came fast and Harry became more nervous by the day. He paced around in his room and fidgeted with his hands. He had received a text from Louis, telling him what to bring. 

  
  
  
 _Whiskey_  
  
 _Whine_  
  
 _Flashlight_  
  
 _Food_  
  
 _Tent_  
 _  
  
  
_ Harry didn't know what Louis was planning and to be honest he was kind of scared. He had never been to a sleepover. But he'd seen them in the movies. They looked fun so Harry was excited to hang out with his new friends. But he was still scared, though. He didn't know Louis for a long time but in that short time that they became 'friends', or whatever they were, he had learned that Louis was kind of crazy.  
  
  
  
Harry checked his things for the last time and walked out of his dorm. Louis, Liam and Eleanor were already waiting for him at the train station. Only Niall hadn't arrived yet.  
  
  
  
\----  
  
  
  
Niall searched frantically for his bag. He was running late and he couldn't find his bag. Louis also sent Niall a text to tell him the stuff he had to bring.  
  
  
  
 _Tent_  
  
 _Cards_  
  
 _Beer_  
  
 _Candles_  
  
  
  
Niall just packed the things without questioning it. Well, he would pack it if he could find his bag, which was still nowhere to be found.  
  
  
  
"MOM! WHERE'S MY BAG?"   
  
  
  
"Under your bed!" she yelled back.  
  
  
  
Damn, of course it was under his bed. It was always under his bed. Stupid he didn't look there first. He mentally slapped himself and grabbed his bag. He threw all the stuff in it and zipped it closed. He glanced at his watch and cursed. They had to be on the train in 20 minutes, he had to hurry.  
  
  
  
So he ran through the house, said a quick goodbye to his parents and brother and ran outside.  
  
  
  
Panting, he arrived at the train station where he saw his new friends already waiting for him. He ran towards them and collapsed on his knees.   
  
  
  
"Niall, you're late," Liam said matter-of-factly.  
  
  
  
"Well, no shit, Sherlock," Niall rolled his eyes. "But sorry, I couldn't find my bag."  
  
  
  
"That's okay; we still have enough time to get on the train. Let's go," Eleanor said as she walked on the direction of the train to Doncaster.  
  
  
  
Louis immediately followed her and grabbed Liam's sleeve to pull him with him, leaving Niall and Harry alone.  
  
  
  
"Uhh, yeah, maybe you, eh, should stand up so we can go..." Harry awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea," Niall chuckled and held out his hands.   
  
  
  
Harry stared at them quizzically.   
  
  
  
"Help me up?" Niall hinted.  
  
  
  
"Oh, right. Of course," Harry laughed nervously and grabbed Niall's hands. Niall felt electricity run through his veins but forced himself to stay calm. Harry held on to Niall's hands tightly, never wanting to let go of them.   
  
  
  
But when Niall stood steady on two feet, he had to let go. Harry didn't though. He stared in those ocean blue eyes and forgot everything. It wasn’t until Niall awkwardly coughed that he quickly let go of Niall's hands.   
  
  
  
"Eh, yeah, we have to go now," Harry stammered. He grabbed his bag and ran after the others. An embarrassing blush creeping on his face.  
  
  
  
Niall stood there frozen. He lowered his head as his cheeks colored red. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and with a grin plastered on his face, he walked to the train.  
  
  
  
\----  
  
  
  
"Wooow," Liam dropped his bag and looked around in awe. Louis' house was huge. They were standing in a long hallway with a high ceiling. There were paintings on the walls and there was a little couch next to the coat rack. It all looked very expensive. They all dumped their jackets and bags and walked around to look at all the expensive stuff. And this was just the hallway; imagine the rest of the house.  
  
  
  
"Louis! You didn't tell me you're rich!" Eleanor screeched.   
  
  
  
Louis just smirked and walked into the house. "Do you guys want a tour?"  
  
  
  
Everyone answered some kind of agreement and Louis waved for them to follow him. Niall noticed Harry hadn't said a word since they had arrived. Niall also noticed Harry avoided eye contact and ignored him completely. But Harry was just scared. He felt something on the train station when he helped Niall up and as much as Harry didn't want to, he still felt it. The spark, that little spark. It wasn't much but he had felt it. And it was freaking him out.

 

''Guys? Are you coming?'' Niall heard Louis' voice yel. 

 

''Yeah, let's go,'' Niall said as he joined the three others. Harry seemed to wake up from his daydream and followed them too.

 

\----

 

''Alright, and here we have the garden. And that's where we'll be sleeping tonight,'' Louis said as he finished his tour through the house, or  _mansion._

 

''What? Are we going to camp in the garden?'' Eleanor asked excitedly.

 

''Yup! Why else would I ask you to bring a tent?'' Louis rolled his eyes. ''I set mine up already,'' he said as he pointed to a little tent. ''You can set up yours now.''

 

Niall struggled with his tent. He didn't understand the way his sticks should be bent and while the others were all busy, Louis helping Liam and Eleanor with her own tent, the only person left was Harry. Whose tent was already done.

 

''Err, could you maybe, uhh, help me?'' Niall asked carefully.

 

Harry's head shot up. ''Yeah, sure,'' He smiled, his dimples showing and Niall had trouble with breathing properly. He cursed under his breath and focused on the tent again. 

 

After Harry shuffled through Niall's stuff he suddenly started to laugh. His hands flew to his stomach and his eyes crinkled. And without Niall noticing, a smile spread on his own face.

 

''What? Why are you laughing?'' Niall asked, still smiling.

 

''Because your tent stick is broken, that's probably why you couldn't set it up,'' Harry explained. He took a deep breath to stop himself from laughing again and walked over to Louis.

 

''Niall's tent sticks are broken,'' Harry said to Louis. ''Do you maybe have a spare tent?''

 

''No, I don't actually...'' Then Louis turned to Niall. ''I think you have to share a tent with someone.'' A devilish smirk appeared on Louis' face. ''Oh no, I think you have to sleep with Harry in a tent. My tent is too small for two people, sorryyyy,'' Louis said, not feeling sorry at all.

 

Niall's glared at Louis and turned to Harry. ''Uhh, is that okay?'' he asked, looking at the ground.

 

''Of course that's okay, right Harry?'' Louis interrupted and patted Harry's shoulder.

 

''Yeah, erhm sure,'' Harry smiled and looked at the ground to hide his grin. Louis pretended to gag and walked away. ''Just kiss already,'' Niall heard him mutter under his breath. Niall's eyes widened and a blush creeped on his face. He hoped Harry didn't hear what Louis had said but judging by the redness of Harry's cheeks, he assumed he did. 


	9. Chapter 9

Later that night they sat around the bonfire, sipping from a bottle of wine. Louis was getting tipsy and was even more obnoxious than he already was sober. Liam was being the responsible one and only drank about two glasses. Eleanor on the other hand was way past tipsy, she gulped down another beer and popped open the bottle of whiskey. But that's were Liam came in. He grabbed the bottle from her and put it behind his back where she couldn't see it.

 

''Yeah, I think you've had enough,'' he said. Eleanor pouted and grabbed the whine from a giggling Louis.

 

Harry and Niall were sitting next to each other in the grass, both sipping from a beer and watching the whole scene in front of them. It was quite funny, actually. Liam trying to stop Eleanor from drinking more by stealing every drop of alcohol from her and Louis just giggling and handing Eleanor new glasses of wine or beer or whatever. After a while, Niall got bored of watching them, though. He turned his gaze to the sky and looked at the stars.

 

''The stars are out tonight,'' Harry said, stating the obvious.

 

''Yeah, they're so beautiful,'' Niall answered in awe. The stars were so bright that night. The sky was clear, not a single cloud. Without noticing, Niall shuffled closer to Harry, blocking out the giggling Louis and Eleanor and annoyed Liam. It was kind of chilly outside. It was August, so at night it could get cold. Niall wasn't wearing anything else than a simple t-shirt and some jeans.

 

''Look, there,'' Niall pointed to the sky. ''That's the Ursa Major, or the Great Bear. It's a constellation, do you see it?''

 

''No, I don't. I can't find it. Does it really look like a bear?'' Harry furrowed his eyebrows. 

 

''No, it's not really a bear,'' Niall chuckled. ''It looks like a dipper.''

 

''Then why is it called 'Great Bear'?'' Harry asked confused.

 

''I don't know. Did you find it yet?''

 

''No. I give up.''

 

Niall noticed that Harry's awkwardness and shyness was completely gone. Maybe he felt comfortable around Niall. Or maybe it was just the alcohol. Yeah, it was probably the alcohol. Niall shifted until he was only inches apart from Harry's face. He grabbed Harry's hand and pointed it to the sky. 

 

''There,'' Niall traced the constellation with his hand still holding Harry's. ''Do you see it now?''

 

Harry's breath hitched. ''Y-yeah.''

 

Harry turned his head to look at Niall and found himself drowning in those ocean blue eyes, like he had done at the train station. Niall turned his gaze away from the stars and looked back in Harry's green eyes. They were just inches apart and Harry was about to lean in when their moment was ruined by Louis throwing a branch at Harry's head.

 

''OW!'' Harry gripped his head with his hands. ''What was that for?''

 

''I don't know, you two seemed cozy,'' Louis said before gripping his stomach in a fit of giggles.

 

Harry was still gripping his head in pain. ''Are you okay, Harry?'' Niall asked.

 

''What do you think? Louis threw a branch at me, hello, no I'm not okay,'' Harry snapped and stormed to the kitchen to find something cold to put against his throbbing head.

 

Niall watched him go and mentally slapped himself for asking such a stupid question. He thought for a second but decided to go after Harry, leaving Liam to deal with Louis. 

 

Niall found Harry sitting on the ground against one of the cabinets, a few ice cubes wrapped in a towel pressed against the side of his head. He didn't hear Niall come in, he looked aside when Niall sat next to him.

 

''I'm sorry for snapping at you, I didn't mean it,'' Harry immediately apologized.

 

''That's okay,'' Niall smiled. ''I'm sorry for asking that stupid question.''

 

''That's okay,'' Harry looked nervous again. Not meeting Niall's gaze and looking at the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Niall didn't like it and hooked his finger under Harry's chin and turned his head so their eyes met. Harry gulped and Niall lost his sudden confident.

 

''Uhh, yeah, I was just gonna, err, look at your wound, yeah,'' Niall struggled to find an excuse.

 

''Oh, o-okay,'' Harry turned his head completely so that the side where his bruise sat was facing Niall. Niall carefully took the ice away and examined the skin. It was not really visible because Harry's curls fell in front of it. So Niall brushed Harry's hair up a bit so that he could see it better. It looked pretty good, a bit red but that was it. 

 

''It looks good. Don't worry,'' Niall reassured as he let go of Harry's hair.

 

''Okay, thank you,'' Harry smiled whole-heartedly.

 

''No problem. Let's go back,'' Niall stood up and held out his hands for Harry.

 

Harry eagerly grabbed Niall's hands and gripped them tightly as Niall pulled him up. This time he didn't make the mistake of getting lost in Niall's eyes. He didn't want that awkward moment again.

 

Together they walked back to the yard, totally not aware that their hands were still connected. When they entered the yard Louis was laying on the ground, passed out, the bottle of whiskey still in his hand. Eleanor was being led by Liam to her tent and after he had tucked her in bed, he walked to Louis. Liam lifted him up bridal style and put him in bed too. Then he turned to Niall and Harry. He looked at them curiously.

 

''Did I miss something? Why are you holding hands?'' Liam pointed at their hands.

 

Niall quickly let go of Harry and tried to fight the blush of his face. His hand felt cold now and he wished he could just grab Harry's hand again and never let go. He noticed Harry's flushed face and he felt a spark of hope that maybe Harry felt the same way.

 

''Err, I don't know, I-I didn't-, w-well, you know?'' Niall looked at Liam with pleading eyes, silently asking him not to ask more questions.

 

Liam seemed to understand it. ''Whatever, I'm going to bed. G'night,'' with a short wave, Liam walked to his tent. 

 

''Yeah, uhh, we should go too,'' Harry said, scratching the back of his neck.

 

''Yeah, we should,'' Niall was the first to turn around and walk to Harry's tent. He knew this was going to be the most awkward night of his life because he had to sleep with Harry in one bed. A  _single_  bed. As in  _not made for two people._ Niall climbed in Harry's little camping bed and shuffled to the side as far as possible. Harry climbed in soon after Niall and squished to the other side. There was about an inch space between them and it was not comfortable at all.

 

''Ugh, I can't sleep like this,'' Niall whined. ''Here, turn around.''

 

Harry looked at him with a quizzical look but turned around. He lay on his side and suddenly he felt an arm snake around his waist. Niall's chest was now pressed agains Harry's back. His breath hitched and he froze. Harry felt Niall's warm breath on his neck and goose bumps arose on his skin. 

 

''Good night, Harry,'' Niall said as he tightened his grip on Harry's waist.

 

''G-Good night,'' Harry couldn't stop his voice from trembling.

 

He lay awake for a few more minutes until he was sure Niall was asleep. He hovered his hand over Niall's hand and hesitated for a moment. He decided to just do it since he had nothing to lose. So he pressed the palm of his hand against the back of Niall's and entwined their fingers. His heart thudded in his chest. He pulled Niall's arm tighter around him and finally closed his eyes, Niall's steady breathing lulling him to sleep. And if he had paid more attention, he would've felt Niall smile against the back of Harry's neck before slipping into a blissful sleep. 


	10. Chapter 10

''Aww.''

  
  
"That's so cute!"  
  
  
  
"Aw, look at them."  
  
  
  
Niall woke up to the sound of his friends gushing over something and he really didn't care what. All he knew that he was still tired and he was just so  _comfortable_.   
  
  
  
"Oh, shh, he's awake," Niall heard Liam say.  
  
  
  
Niall raised his head to look where the sound came from because they were obviously talking about him. He slowly opened his eyes and immediately saw his three friends in the opening of his and Harry's tent.  
  
  
  
"The fuck?" Niall mumbled confused.  
  
  
  
"Ah, I see you're quite comfortable, hm?" Louis pointed to Niall and Harry's position.  
  
  
  
Niall now understood what they were talking about. He and Harry were still in the same position as last night. Niall spooning Harry and Harry's hand tightly holding Niall's to pull him even closer.   
  
  
  
"Ugh, it's too early for this. Get the fuck out," Niall hid his face behind the back of Harry's neck and shuffled closer to Harry's warmth.  
  
  
  
"Come on, let's give the lovebirds some alone time," Louis said amused. Niall just groaned in response. He just wanted them to go away so he could cuddle some more with Harry.  
  
  
  
And even though it was impossible for Niall to fall asleep again, he was definitely not going to get out of bed. He hoped Harry would sleep until forever so that they could stay like this. Niall was afraid Harry would pull away immediately if he woke up. Maybe he wasn't even gay. Maybe he was grossed out. Niall was so busy with thinking about the worst scenarios that he didn't hear Harry wake up.  
  
  
  
"Good morning," Harry said as he turned around in Niall's arms.  
  
  
  
"Hi," Niall expected Harry to pull away and get out of bed but instead he felt Harry wrap his arms around his waist and tuck his face in the crook of Niall's neck. Niall didn't hesitate to wrap his arms tightly around Harry's shoulders.

 

''Did you sleep well?'' Niall mumbled against Harry's hair.

 

''Yeah, you?'' 

 

''Better than ever,'' Niall grinned.

 

''Good.''

 

And then it was quiet again. But for the first time, it wasn't awkward. It felt  _right_  to just lay there in each other’s arms. So they did. Niall missed it to have someone so close to him. And even though he was scared because his last relationship ended in a disaster, he couldn't help but pull Harry closer. He just needed to feel loved again and Harry was just _right there_ , and so close. 

 

After another hour of them cuddling, Niall's stomach started to grumble since they hadn't had breakfast yet. He loosened his grip on Harry's body and carefully tried to shuffle away from Harry's grip without waking him. But as soon as there was about one inch space between their bodies, Harry tightened his grip and pulled him closer again.

 

''Harry, I'm hungry,'' Niall whined.

 

''No, you're not. Don't leave yet,'' Harry pressed his face in the crook of Niall's neck again.

 

''Yes, I am! Harry, I promise, you can come to me to cuddle any time you want but if I don't eat something now I'll die,'' Niall said dramatically.

 

''Okay, okay. I'm hungry too, actually. I'll go with you,'' Harry reluctantly let go of Niall and rolled out of bed. He landed with a thump on the hard ground and groaned.

 

Niall chuckled. ''Come on, sleepy head.'' Niall stepped over Harry's body and unzipped the tent. The sun shone on Niall's face and a happy feeling spread through his body. 

 

''Ah, there we have the boyfriends,'' Louis said as soon as Harry stood next to Niall.

 

''W-what, no, Louis, we're not in a relationship!'' Niall quickly defended himself. But when he looked at Harry he saw a look what seemed like a look of hurt. Niall turned away, not wanting to get his hopes up that maybe Harry  _wanted_  to be in a relationship with him. 

 

''Not yet! But you guys were quite cuddly a few minutes ago,'' Louis smirked.

 

''Louis, shut up,'' Harry said as he walked past him. ''Is there anything to eat?''

 

''Well, we ate breakfast an hour ago but you were too busy cuddling each other and being cute,'' Eleanor now stood next to Louis.

 

''Guys! Stop it! There was just not enough space for both of us to lie on so we  _had_  to be close, you know,'' Harry said while walking to the kitchen for something to eat. It was Niall now who was hurt. He knew it was also due the lack of space that they were cuddling but, come on, it wasn't only that. Right? Niall shrugged it off and went to help Harry in the kitchen. When he walked past Louis and Eleanor he heard Eleanor mutter something like 'yeah right' and Louis winked. 

 

When Niall walked into the kitchen he saw that Harry was already eating cereal. Niall grabbed a bowl with cereal too and sat opposite from Harry at the table. And there was the awkward silence again. 

 

''Err, so yeah sorry about Louis. He's always like that. You'll get used to it,'' Harry offered a smile.

 

''That's okay,'' Niall smiled back. 

 

Luckily, Liam walked in and the awkward silence was broken by him.

 

''So, did you sleep well?'' he asked smugly. 

 

Both Harry and Niall mumbled a 'yes' and looked at each other briefly. A blush spread on both Niall and Harry's cheeks as they thought about how close they had been all night and morning while cuddling. And now they were back to being awkward and uneasy. It was kind of weird but Liam didn't seem to notice.

 

''Oh, that's nice. It was a really cute sight, you know. All cuddled up, yeah, really cute,'' with that Liam walked away with the same smug look on his face. Niall turned to face Harry and felt his cheeks warm up again. Why did they have to mention it every second? Harry seemed to think the same thing and looked away blushing too.

 

''Awkwaaaaaard,'' they heard Louis yell from behind them. Niall, who sat with his back to Louis, turned around to face him. He glared at him and Louis just smirked. ''So, Liam and Eleanor are leaving soon so if you guys want to go back to London with them, you're gonna have to shower quickly. Oh, wait, I know a way to save time! Why don't you shower together! Since sleeping together wasn't a problem either,'' Louis turned around and sprinted away laughing like a maniac.

 

Niall slowly turned around and felt his cheeks burn for the third time this day. He was relieved when he saw Harry too with scarlet cheeks. ''Ehh, I'll shower first okay?'' Niall suggested.

 

''Yeah, that's okay,'' Harry didn't dare to look up and kept his eyes glued to his lap. 

 

\----

 

In an hour everyone was showered and they were busy packing their stuff again. They finished quickly and said goodbye to Louis. It was a bit awkward but Louis didn't seem to notice it and just hugged everyone goodbye. It was quite obvious that he hugged Eleanor longer than necessary but no one said something about it.

 

The four of them arrived at the train station; Louis stayed with his parents for the rest of the weekend and would come back to London by the end of the day. Eleanor and Liam went straight home, leaving Harry and Niall together.

 

''Uhh, yeah I probably have some homework to make... So yeah, I should go,'' Harry was about to walk away when Niall grabbed his wrist.

 

''I can walk with you. I have to go in the same direction,'' Niall offered. ''Only if you want to, I mean, it's okay if you don't want to.''

 

''I'd like that, come on,'' Harry couldn't keep the grin from his face.

 

''So where do you live?'' Harry tried to make a small talk and avoid the awkward silences.

 

''Uhm, a few minutes away from London,'' Niall answered vaguely.

 

''And why did you move from Ireland?''

 

''Uhh, that's kinda personal...'' Niall didn't want to tell his whole past to Harry. Not yet, at least.

 

''Oh that's okay; you don't have to tell me. I understand,'' Harry flashed him a smile. 

 

''Thanks,'' Niall smiled back. ''Tell me something about your family,'' Niall tried not to sound too eager, he really wanted to get to know Harry. And Harry didn't seem to mind the question because he started talking about his sister, Gemma, and his parents and what kind of job they did and all that stuff. They chatted away easily and without noticing, they suddenly stood in front of Harry's University.

 

''Oh, we're here already,'' Harry tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. 

 

''Yeah, too bad. It was nice talking to you Harry, I'd like to get to know you better,'' Niall said shyly and looked at his shoes. ''You should come to the record store more often.''

 

''I will. Err, I'll go now,'' Harry said. He considered hugging Niall but he wasn't sure if Niall was comfortable with that. 

 

''Yeah, bye.''

 

They stared at each other for a second and in a brief moment of confident; Harry stepped forward and enveloped Niall in a hug. Harry wrapped his arms around the other boy's waist and Niall locked his arms around Harry's neck.

 

''Thank you,'' Niall whispered with his lips pressed to Harry's ear. ''I had a great time.''

 

Harry pulled back with a massive grin on his face. ''My pleasure,'' he simply answered. He turned around but changed his mind. He faced Niall again and kissed him chastely on the cheek. Then, he turned around and ran through the door of the University without glancing back.

 

And Niall stood there, frozen on the spot with his right cheek still burning. With a goofy grin and a faint blush he walked to the metro station and made his way home. 


	11. Chapter 11

Niall came home with a massive smile plastered on his face. He dropped his bag at the door and toed off his shoes. He shrugged his jacket off and walked to the living room where he found his mom and dad. His mom was reading a book and his dad was reading the newspaper, either on one side of the couch. Niall guessed Greg was upstairs but he didn't really care. All he thought about was that kiss. Of course, it wasn't a kiss. It was only a little peck on his cheek. But still, it made butterflies erupt in his stomach. 

 

''I'm home,'' Niall said dreamily as he plopped down on the couch in between his parents.

 

''Did you have fun, Nialler?'' his dad ruffled his hair and smiled.

 

''Yeah, yeah I did,'' Niall still couldn't hide the grin on his face. 

 

His mother peeked up from her book and looked at Niall fondly. ''I know that look...''

 

''What look? I don't know what you're talking about,'' Niall said innocently. But soon after the stupid smile was back on his face.

 

''Of course you don't, honey,'' his mother smiled but decided not to pry. ''I'm glad you had fun.''

 

''Yeah,'' Niall giggled and hid his face in his hands as he felt it heat up. ''I'll be upstairs,'' Niall stood up and he felt like doing a happy dance. So he jumped around for a bit and wiggled his hips until he reached his room. He heard someone chuckle and he clutched his heart dramatically when he turned around.

 

''Jesus, Greg, I almost had a heart attack,'' Niall fake pouted at his brother.

 

''Well, you're in an awful good mood. Did something happen?'' Greg smirked.

 

Niall sighed dreamily again. He just couldn't control his actions right now; he was in too much of a daze to notice his love-struck behaviour. ''No, no nothing happened.''

 

''Yeah right, then stop giggling like a teenage girl and be a man, God, I know you're gay but do you have to make it so obvious?''

 

''I can't,'' Niall's hand touched his own cheek and he swore he still felt the skin burn.

 

''Idiot,'' he heard Greg mutter. But Niall was too busy reliving the moment of that kiss, that kiss, that kiss. It was the only thing he could think about. He stumbled in his room and let himself fall on the bed. He landed on his belly and just laid there with his eyes closed and thought about Harry and his soft lips, and Harry and his hands, and Harry and his body, and Harry and his cuteness and Harry, Harry, Harry. 

 

\----

 

The next morning Niall stood up with a giddy feeling in his tummy. He jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He dried himself and sprayed some cologne on. He had to smell good for Harry. He grabbed some clean clothes and threw them on. It was a Beatle shirt, since he knew Harry loved bands, and some simple dark jeans. When he came downstairs, he kissed his mom and dad on the cheek and hugged Greg, who protested immediately and pushed his little brother away. 

 

''Hiiii, Good morning,'' Niall chirped happily.

 

''Seriously, what's wrong with you?'' Greg asked annoyed. He wasn't really a morning person.

 

''Nothing's wrong with me, Greggy. I'm just happy to go to work.'' Niall made himself some breakfast and brushed his teeth. He didn't want to face Harry with a bad breath. He slipped his shoes on and waved goodbye to his family. His mother and father waved back and wished him a good day while Greg muttered something like 'dork'. 

 

He shut the door behind him and practically ran to the train station. He arrived at the record store earlier than normal but that was okay because Liam was already there.

 

''Hi, Liam,'' Niall dumped his bag behind the counter and hugged Liam.

 

''Hey, how are you?''

 

''Amazing,'' Niall said promptly. ''You?''

 

Liam chuckled. ''I'm fine, thanks. Why are you in such a good mood?''

 

''I-I don't know,'' Niall was tired of his friends' teasing so he was definitely not going to tell about what had happened yesterday. 

 

''Ah, interesting. Does it has anything to do with a certain boy named Harry?'' Liam pinched Niall's red cheeks. 

 

''N-no, of course not! Ha, no, definitely not,'' Niall turned around swiftly and grabbed a box with records. ''Sorry, I have work to do!'' He slipped past Liam and walked to the far end of the store and began to order the records.

 

\----

 

''Harry! Are you even paying attention?'' Louis snapped his fingers in front of Harry's face to catch his attention. Harry instantly turned red and looked down.

 

''Err, not really... Sorry, Lou, I was just thinking...'' Harry tried to suppress the smile that he was sporting but he failed miserably.

 

''Oh, about your lover boy?'' Louis teased. He grabbed Harry's chin and moved it up and down. ''Oh look at me I'm Harry and I'm in love with Niall, I love him so much, mwah mwah mwah.''

 

Harry slapped Louis hand away and he just couldn't help but spill everything to Louis about what had happened yesterday. He knew he would get teased for the rest of his life but he simply couldn’t keep it for himself.

 

''...YOU KISSED HIM?'' Louis screamed after Harry was done with his story.

 

Harry clamped a hand over Louis' mouth. ''Shh, and no I didn't kissed him. I just pecked him on his cheek and ran away...'' Harry lowered his head to hide his blush.

 

''Aw, you guys are really too cute!'' And right at that moment Louis saw Eleanor enter the library. He waved and motioned for her to come. ''NIALL AND HARRY KISSED,'' he announced as soon as Eleanor sat down. 

 

''WHAT?'' 

 

Harry groaned. ''Louis! I didn't kiss him, I only pecked his cheek!'' He dropped his head in his folded arms that lay on his desk. He decided to just let Eleanor and Louis fan girl over 'the kiss' and his mind wondered to a certain blond boy with blue eyes. A smile appeared on his face again and his head shot up. 

 

''I have an idea! Why don't we go to the record shop to eat lunch together,'' Harry didn't wait for an answer and stood up, stuffed his books in his bag and waited impatiently for his friends to come with him.

 

''Of course he wants to go to his boyfriend,'' Louis said and rolled his eyes.

 

''He's not my boyfriend!''

 

''Of course, babe,'' Eleanor patted Harry's cheek and followed Louis to the exit of the library.

 

''Hey, wait for me!'' Harry slung his backpack on his shoulder and ran after his friends.

 

\----

 

Harry had tried to hide his excitement to see Niall again, and although he was failing miserably, Louis and Eleanor decided not to mention it. And when they stood in front of the record store, Harry suddenly became nervous. He began to overthink everything, because what if Niall didn't even like him, what if he didn't want to see Harry, what if he didn't like that little kiss, what if-

 

''Harry, are you coming or are you gonna stand there for the rest of the day?'' Louis rudely interrupted his thoughts.

 

''Uhm, maybe I should go back to my dorm, I mean, I have some homework to do and, you know, I have to call my mom and Niall probably doesn't want to see me,'' Harry was already ready to run back when Louis grabbed his wrist and dragged him inside. 

 

''Look there's Niall!'' Harry tried to shush Louis but it wasn't working. Harry wriggled with his arm to loosen the Louis' grip but Louis wasn't having any of that. He turned to Harry. ''Okay, here's the plan, you walk up to him and ask him out. Simple as that. Got it?''

 

''N-no, Louis! I'm not going to do that! He probably doesn't even want to go on a date with me!''

 

''Harry, you're such an idiot! He has the biggest crush on you! Now go!''

 

''I-I don't know...'' Harry turned his gaze to the ground and heard Louis sigh.

 

''Hey, Niall! I brought someone for you!'' Louis pulled Harry with him and pushed him so that Harry stumbled forward and landed on Niall with an 'umpf'. Niall was able to catch them both just in time by wrapping his arms around Harry's waist. When they stood steady again, Harry wrapped his arms around Niall's neck and whispered a 'thank you' in his ear. 

 

''You're welcome,'' Niall shyly pulled away and turned to his records again. ''How are you?''

 

''I'm great,'' Harry couldn't suppress his giggle. ''You?''

 

''Fantastic,'' Niall answered with a grin.

 

Harry looked around and saw that Louis and Eleanor were chatting with Liam. Louis turned around and shot him a meaningful look. Harry just blushed and looked at Niall again, who was still busy stacking the records. 

 

''Err, do you maybe, uhh, you know,'' Harry tried to find the right words but he couldn't seem to find them.

 

Niall looked at him quizzically. ''What?''

 

''Eh, no, forget it,'' Harry awkwardly fumbled with his bracelets and cursed himself for not being able to ask Niall out.

 

''Oh my break is almost over, gotta go! Bye, I'll see you around,'' Harry swiftly turned around, grabbed Louis and Eleanor and dragged them outside.

 

''Well, that was a disaster,'' Harry angrily pulled at his curls. ''I tried to ask him out but I made a complete fool out of myself.''

 

''It'll be okay, Harry. Just try again next time!'' Eleanor encouragingly patted him on his shoulder and together they walked back to the university.

 

And this went on for almost 2 weeks. Harry came to the record store almost every day and every time he tried to ask Niall out but it always ended the same. Harry just couldn't find the right words to ask Niall out and he stuttered and it was just not working. And one day, Thursday, Louis had enough of the constant whining of Harry and the confused looks from Niall. So in their break they walked to the record store like they did almost every day and Louis decided Harry needed his help.

 

''Hello, everyone! Niall? Can you come here for a second? Harry wants to ask you something,'' Louis asked sweetly as soon as he stepped inside the shop.

 

''Louis, what are you doing?'' Harry hissed in his ear.

 

''I'm helping you, trust me,'' Louis gave Harry a threatening look and that made Harry shut up.

 

''What do you wanna ask?'' Niall now stood in front of them. Eleanor was watching with Liam from a distance, giggling occasionally.

 

''Go Harry, ask him,'' Louis pushed Harry in front of him.

 

''Err, well, I just-,'' Harry looked over his shoulder and shot Louis a desperate look.

 

''Harry wants to go on a date with you but he's too scared to ask you,'' Louis finally said.

 

''Louis!'' Harry whisper-yelled.

 

''Sorry Harry, if I had to wait for you, we'd be standing here forever,'' Louis patted Harry's back and walked to Eleanor and Liam to watch with them.

 

''Do you really want to go on a date with me?'' Niall mumbled.

 

''Yeah...'' Harry blushed and turned his gaze to the ground. 

 

''Well, then my answer is yes. I'd love to go on a date with you,'' A smile spread over Harry's face and he looked up.

 

''Really?'' Harry asked surprised. Niall just nodded and blushed. Harry pulled Niall in a bone-crushing hug and couldn't help but giggle happily. They exchanged phone numbers and after that Harry, Louis and Eleanor had to go back to the university since their break was already over. And on their way back, Harry couldn't stop talking about Niall and his blue eyes, Niall and his cute giggle, Niall and his adorable everything. It was getting kind of annoying but Louis and Eleanor were happy for their friends and that they finally took the next step.


	12. Chapter 12

''Eleanor, this is not one of your girly movies, this is real life!'' Harry said frustrated.

 

''Hush, I know what I'm doing,'' Eleanor opened Harry's closet and examined his clothes.

 

''And before you ask, no, I'm not going shopping! This is just a date, we aren't in high school anymore,'' Harry threw himself on his bed and buried his face in his pillow. 

 

Eleanor sighed. ''Here, wear this,'' she threw him a white button up and some dark fitting jeans. ''So, tell me, what's the plan?''

 

Harry raised his head and sat on his bed with crossed legs. ''I'm taking him to a restaurant a few minutes from here. I discovered it when we were walking to the record store and I think it looks really cute,'' Harry told excitedly.

 

''He's gonna love it,'' Eleanor smiled.

 

''Well, I don't know, I've never been on a date before so... What if I mess up?''

 

''You won't mess up! And even if you did mess up, he wouldn't care because he has the biggest crush on you,'' Eleanor sat next to Harry on the edge of his bed. 

 

''I don't want to scare him away...'' Harry looked at his lap and nervously played with his colored bracelets.

 

Eleanor grabbed his shoulders and made him look at her. ''Listen to me, you're not going to mess up, you are going to have an amazing time, and just enjoy it, okay?''

 

Harry gave her a weak smile, not fully convinced. ''Okay.''

 

''But it's almost seven, you should get changed. You pick him up at half past seven, right?''

 

''Oh fuck, I kind of have to hurry,'' Harry frantically started to pull his shirt over his head and tried to unbutton his jeans at the same time.

 

''Harry calm down! You have enough time, it's only 15 minutes to his house with the metro,'' Eleanor tried to reassure him.

 

''But I don't want to be late! This date has to be perfect,'' Harry stood now with one leg in his clean jeans as he buttoned up his shirt.

 

Harry ran to the bathroom and checked himself out in the mirror. He messed a bit with his hair and sprayed some cologne on. 

 

''Okay, I'm ready to go,'' he said to Eleanor as he threw on his white Converse. ''How do I look?'' Harry smoothed his shirt again and looked at Eleanor with an insecure expression.

 

Eleanor took Harry's hands. ''You look perfect, this date will be perfect, don't stress too much okay? Just let it happen.''

 

Harry took a deep breath. ''Okay, thanks for your help, you're the best.''

 

''I know,'' Eleanor smirked. ''Now go, you're late!''

 

Harry cursed and ran out of his dorm room. He hurried to the metro station and impatiently waited for the metro. He wished he had a car so that he could pick Niall up like in the movies. But a driver’s license is expensive and cars were even more expensive, so no. That was not an option. The metro finally arrived and he jumped in. The ride was short and he kept glancing at his watch. He still had 10 minutes to get there but Harry had to hurry. He arrived at Niall's house 5 minutes too late and he mentally slapped himself for not leaving his dorm earlier. This was not a good first impression.

 

He wiped off his sweaty palms on his jeans and rang the doorbell. He heard some noises and a boy older than Niall opened the door.

 

''Hello, there. Who are you?''

 

''Err, I'm Harry. I'm here for Niall.''

 

''Oh, I'll go get him.'' The boy opened the door further and motioned for Harry to come in.

 

''NIALL SOMEONE'S HERE TO SEE YOU,'' he yelled.

 

Harry heard some stumbling and cursing before he saw Niall almost fall off the stairs. He quickly stood up and walked to Harry. Niall wore a grey polo and dark blue trousers. His hair was messy and it looked really cute. Or at least, that's what Harry thought. 

 

''Hi, I forgot to tie my shoelace... So yeah I almost fell down the stairs...'' Niall blushed.

 

Harry giggled softly. ''Well, maybe you should tie them now.''

 

''Right,'' Niall muttered as he bent down to tie his shoelace. As Niall stood up again, Harry heard someone groan. He looked over Niall's shoulder and saw the boy that opened the door. 

 

''Niall, are you going on a date or something? Is this why you were so happy the other day? Ahh, I get it! You have a crush on him! That's why you danced through the house!'' The boy had a smug look on his face as he looked to Niall, who was frantically shaking his head to make him stop talking. 

 

Niall grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him out of the house. ''Bye, I'll be home sometime tonight!''

 

As they stepped outside, Niall let go of Harry's wrist. ''Sorry, that was my brother, Greg, he's really annoying.''

 

''Did you really dance through the house?'' Harry tried to suppress his laughter.

 

Niall's eyes went wide and he started blushing. ''Err, well, not really, like, dancing, more like... you know,'' Niall turned his gaze to the ground.

 

''Aww, I think it's cute,'' Harry giggled. He loved making Niall blush. 

 

Niall playfully shoved him and giggled when Harry bumped shoulders with him. ''Where are we going?'' Niall asked.

 

''It's a secret,'' Harry teased.

 

Niall groaned. ''But I want to knooow,'' He pouted and gave Harry puppy dog eyes. ''Please?''

 

''Nope, not working,'' But Harry had to look away because Niall looked absolutely adorable. 

 

Niall decided to drop it and they walked in a comfortable silence to the metro station. It had been easier if Niall was the one picking Harry up because they basically had to walk past the University. But Harry had asked Niall out and Harry wasn't complaining. Harry wanted to do it old-school; he wanted to be a gentleman. They exited the metro and made a small talk about school. Niall told him about his school in Ireland, but Harry didn't tell much about his high school time. He was bullied a lot and he didn't want Niall to think he was on a date with a loser.

 

\----

 

''Tadaaaa,'' Harry said as they stood in front of the small restaurant.

 

''This looks so nice!'' Niall said.

 

''I know right, look at all the little candles,'' Harry stepped closer to Niall and pointed to all the little lights in front of the window. The restaurant wasn't very big, only about eight tables and it looked very cozy. Every table had a white table cloth with a candle in the middle. The lights were slightly dimmed so that it looked warm and inviting. 

 

''Come on let's go inside,'' Harry grabbed Niall's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. They stepped inside and saw that it wasn't very crowded. Only three tables were taken. A waitress walked up to them and greeted them.

 

''Can I help you?''

 

''A table for two, please,'' Harry said politely, while still holding Niall's hand.

 

The waitress noticed their joined hands and smiled warmly. ''Cute,'' Harry heard her mumble. 

 

She led them to a table for two and handed them a menu. ''Can I get you something to drink?''

 

''Yes, a coke for me,'' Harry knew that sounded childish but he just didn't really like to drink alcohol.

 

''For me, too,'' Niall smiled at the waitress and turned his attention back to the menu. 

 

''Do you know what you're going to eat?'' Harry asked. There were so many options and Harry was never good at making decisions.

 

''No, there's so many! And everything sounds so delicious,'' Niall furrowed his eyebrow.

 

''I think I'm gonna go for the chicken,'' Harry clapped his menu closed and looked at Niall.

 

Niall bit his lip. '''Hmm... I'll take the salmon thing.''

 

The waitress stood in front of their table again and took their orders. When she walked away, Harry hooked his ankles with Niall's.

 

''Thanks for going on this date with me,'' Harry said shyly.

 

''Of course, did you think I would say no?'' Niall giggled.

 

''Well, kind of... That's why it took me so long to ask you,'' Harry admitted, blushing slightly. 

 

''Aw, you're cute,'' Niall leaned over the table and pinched Harry's cheeks. 

 

Their food came, and they fell in a comfortable conversation after that, Niall told stories about the record store and Harry told about University and what classes he had and slowly but surely, they got to know each other better. Until Niall asked about where Harry went to high school. Harry suddenly stopped talking and looked anywhere but Niall.

 

''What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I did,'' Niall said concerned. He reached over the table to lace his fingers with Harry's.

 

''No, it's just...'' Harry took a deep breath. ''I was bullied a lot in high school. But like, a lot a lot.''

 

''Oh, I'm sorry about that. Why did they bully you?'' Niall asked softly.

 

''I don't know. I guess I just wasn't good enough,'' Harry said sadly.

 

''That's not true, Harry, you are good enough. You're amazing, they just didn't see it,'' Niall tried to cheer Harry up. 

 

''It's okay. I have friends now, and you,'' Harry smiled brightly at Niall.

 

''Yeah, and I won't let you go easily,'' Niall grinned.

 

''Good,'' Harry smiled. ''Shall I ask for the receipt?'' They were both done eating and they had already agreed that they were too full for a dessert.

 

Niall nodded and Harry waved for the waitress. She came to their table and Harry asked for the receipt. Niall was about to grab his wallet, when Harry stopped him.

 

''I'll pay,'' Harry said smiling.

 

''But I want to pay,'' Niall made another attempt to grab money.

 

''No, I asked you out, so I pay,'' Harry said sternly. With that he walked away and followed the waitress to the pay desk. 

 

When he came back Niall had already put on his coat. Harry did the same and they waved the waitress goodbye. It was already dark outside and it was chilly. Harry shivered and felt a warm hand slip in his. He ducked his head to hide his smile as he gripped tightly on Niall's hand. It was silent on the road, which was weird, because they were in London. It was never silent in London. But that night it was, and it was nice. The only sound was the breeze of the wind. 

 

They walked to the metro station in silence, but they both didn't mind. They were just enjoying each other’s company. Their hands swayed between them as they walked and Niall leaned his head on Harry's shoulder as they sat in the abandoned metro. Niall almost fell asleep on Harry but Harry woke him up just in time and giggled as Niall clung to Harry because he was so tired. It was only about eleven but Niall was still tired. Harry of course found it absolutely adorable and wrapped is arm around Niall to keep him close. They reached Niall's house way too soon and Niall was forced to pull away from Harry's warm and comfortable body.

 

''Thanks for the date, Harry,'' Niall said sheepishly. 

 

''My pleasure,'' Harry giggled. He opened is arms and Niall fell into them. Niall wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and Harry wrapped his arms round Niall's neck. They stood like that for a few minutes and Niall almost whimpered when Harry pulled away. 

 

''I have to go, I'll see you later, yeah?'' Harry asked.

 

''Of course,'' Niall smiled and turned around to open the door. He swung the door open and looked over his shoulder where Harry still stood. Niall stepped into his house and thought for a moment. He really wanted to kiss Harry. But isn't that weird on a first date? 

 

Harry stood still on the same spot in front of Niall's door as Niall stood with his back to him. He was about to ask why when Niall turned around. Niall took a big step forward and grabbed Harry's cheeks. He pulled Harry toward him and gave him a gentle, lingering peck on his lips. Niall pulled away slowly and felt a blush creep on his face. Harry smiled and giggled. Niall turned around again and stepped inside.

 

''Wait,'' he heard Harry say. Harry spun Niall around and kissed him again. Harry gave Niall two lingering pecks and pulled away. ''Now you can go.''

 

Niall couldn't suppress his giggle as he walked inside. ''Bye, Harry, I'll text you.'' Then he shut the door and left Harry standing on his door step with a grin that might split his face in two. 

 

Harry dreamily walked back to his dorm and stepped in his bed after he stripped down to his boxers. He fell asleep with a grin on his face.


	13. Chapter 13

''Okay, tell me everything,'' Louis plopped down next to Harry in the library. He grabbed is books and laid them open in front of him. Then he turned to Harry and waited for him to spill everything. But all Harry did was blush and soon after Eleanor entered the library too. 

 

''Well, hello there. How was the date?'' She sat down on the other side of Harry and looked at him expectantly. Harry sighed dreamily but kept his mouth shut. 

 

''Harry! Tell us, now!'' Louis demanded.

 

''Hm... I don't know... Do you  _really_  want to know?'' Harry teased.

 

''YES,'' both of them yelled. Immediately they were shushed by the library lady. Eleanor mouthed an apology but Louis just ignored it.

 

''Okay, so first I picked him up and he looked al cute and adorable and...'' Harry trailed off and smiled cutely.

 

''Alright, alright, we get it, he looked nice,'' Louis said, wanting Harry to just get on with the story.

 

''Nice? Excuse me, Louis? He did not look nice. He looked handsome and fluffy and hot and he was blushing, and it was so cute, and I just...'' Harry trailed off again. He giggled a bit but told himself to control himself around his friends.

 

Harry cleared his throat and continued. ''Okay, so he looked amazing-''

 

''You made that clear,'' Louis interrupted, but Eleanor shot him a look and he closed his mouth again.

 

''And then we walked to the restaurant and we held hands and the food was amazing and we talked and it wasn't awkward and it was just perfect and maybe we kind of kissed,'' Harry blushed as he thought about it.

 

''WHAT?'' Louis and Eleanor screeched. 

 

Harry felt his face heat up. ''We kissed,'' he repeated with a smile.

 

''And? What was it like??'' Eleanor excitedly clapped her hands.

 

Harry closed his eyes and sighed, a smile threatened to take over. ''It was amazing.''

 

''So, are you boyfriends now?'' Eleanor asked.

 

Harry's eyes widened. ''Shit, I haven't asked him yet. Oh god, should I ask him?''

 

''Yes!'' Eleanor said, stating the obvious.

 

''But, I don't know...'' Harry dropped his gaze back to his books. 

 

''No, Harry, no, we are not going to start this again. We are going to the record store in about 30 minutes and don't you dare not to ask him to be your boyfriend okay? I won't be there to help you this time. Understood?'' Louis looked at him sternly. 

 

''Okay. I'll ask him,'' Harry tried to give his friends a confident smile but he failed miserably. He wanted to ask Niall but he had never been confident so this was a big deal for him. He wasn't sure if he could do it. But he would definitely try.

 

\----

 

About 30 minutes later, Harry, Louis and Eleanor exited the university and made their way to the record store. Eleanor kept reassuring Harry that it would be okay and that Niall would say yes. Of course he would say yes. But Harry was still super nervous and Louis wasn't helping with his threats and jokes.

 

A few minutes later, they entered the record shop, where Niall was animatedly telling Liam about his date. Niall didn't hear them come closer because he had his back directed to them so he kept talking to Liam, who had now a smug look on his face since he saw Harry coming their way.

 

''...And then I kissed him, Liam! I kissed him!'' Harry heard Niall say. Harry's face instantly heat up and he ducked his head.

 

Liam started to laugh. ''I think someone's here to see you,'' he said still laughing.

 

Niall swiftly turned around and saw Harry blushing. ''Ehh, oh, hi. I was just telling Liam about yesterday...'' Niall said while an embarrassing blush spread on his cheeks.

 

''Yeah, I heard that,'' Harry muttered.

 

Niall cleared his throat. He hated the awkwardness between him and Harry. When they were alone it wasn't awkward. But when their friends were with them, there was just this tension between them and Niall found it annoying. He wanted to get rid of the awkward so he pulled Harry with him to the storage room behind the counter.

 

''Hi,'' Niall said again.

 

Harry grinned. ''Hey,'' Harry thought this was the perfect moment for his question that he was dying to ask. ''Okay, I want to ask you something.''

 

''Go on,'' Niall sensed Harry's nervousness and tried to reassure him by grabbing his hand.

 

''Do you-, Will you-, Maybe... you can-, we can be... Arrgh,'' Harry frustrated himself. He wanted to ask it so badly but he just couldn't.

 

Niall saw Harry's inner conflict and decided to help him. ''Will I be your boyfriend?''

 

Harry slowly nodded. ''It's okay if you don't want to,'' he added quickly.

 

 ''Don't be silly. Of course I want to,'' Niall giggled. He forgot about his past for a moment. He trusted Harry completely and he wanted nothing more than to just be happy. He wound his arms around Harry's neck and kissed his cheek. ''Stop being so nervous. It'll make things easier, you know,'' Niall whispered in Harry's ear.

 

''I'm sorry, I just can't control it,'' Harry was on the verge of tears now and he hated himself for not being able to control his emotions. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and buried his face in Niall's neck.

 

''Hey, it's okay,'' Niall regretted saying something about it. He didn't want to make Harry sad.

 

Niall unwrapped his arms from around Harry's neck and pulled away. Harry kept his grip on Niall's waist though and suddenly there was only an inch space between their faces. Harry gulped and forced himself to stay calm. It was just Niall, sweet, cute, adorable Niall. Without thinking more, Harry leaned in and pressed his lips against Niall's.

 

Niall responded immediately and kissed back softly. Just as Niall's tongue ran over Harry's bottom lip, they heard someone giggle. Niall and Harry quickly broke the kiss and stared at the entrance of the room. There they saw Eleanor giggling like a school girl and Louis stood next to her with a fond look on his face as he watched her. 

 

Louis turned to Harry. ''So you finally asked him?''

 

''Well, sort of, yeah...'' Harry looked at Niall and a smile spread on his face. He swiftly pecked Niall's lips and grabbed his hand to entwine their fingers. Giggling, Niall leaned his forehead against Harry's shoulder. Harry felt a wave of happiness spread through him and the grin on his face grew even bigger. 

 

''It was about time,'' Liam said as he walked past the couple to search for a record. ''And this is really cute and all, and I don't want to ruin the moment but it's busy in the shop. You have to help me, Niall.''

 

''Of course, I'll be there in a sec,'' Niall said without taking his eyes of his boyfriend. 

 

''Bye,'' Harry said as he leaned his forehead against Niall's.

 

''Bye. I'll text you when I'm done here okay?'' Niall pecked Harry's lips twice and quickly ran away to help Liam.

 

Harry turned to his friends and attacked them in a hug. He laughed happily and pulled away. ''You, guys are the best. I'm so happy to have you as friends.''

 

''Aw, Harry,'' Louis wiped away fake tears. He placed his hand on his heart and sighed dreamily.

 

Eleanor muttered something like 'idiot' but Harry saw that she didn't really mean it. They exited the shop but not before Louis had dragged Harry away from his boyfriend. Harry blew one last kiss to Niall and ran after his friends.


	14. Chapter 14

**To Harry:  
  
** _hey boyfriend, can I come over?  
  
  
  
_ Harry grinned as he read the text. He was making some homework in his dorm when Niall texted him. After they had become officially boyfriend and boyfriend earlier that day, Niall promised that he'd text Harry after he was done with work. It was now around 7 PM.   
  
  
  
 **To Niall:  
  
** _of course you can, boyfriend xx  
  
  
_ **To Harry:  
  
** _that's great, but I have no idea where your dorm is... ;)  
  
  
  
_ **To Niall:**  
  
 _I'll pick you up! See you in 10 mins x  
  
  
  
_ Harry hurried to put some shoes on and slipped his phone in his pocket. He almost ran outside but figured that there were other students walking in the hallway too so he settled for half waking, half running. He looked like a fool but he didn't really care. He was about to see Niall, his boyfriend, again and he was just excited. He even forgot to put on a coat. Ah, that's what love does to you. Harry considered going back to his dorm but he just wanted to see Niall as soon as possible so he settled for being cold then.  
  
  
  
He arrived, panting, at the record shop where he saw Niall already waiting for him in front of the store. It began to drizzle a bit and Harry was regretting now that he didn't go back for his coat.   
  
  
  
''Hi,'' Harry smiled and leaned in for a kiss.  
  
  
  
''Hey,'' Niall breathed before Harry's lips collided with his own. Harry's soft lips moved against Niall's chapped one's. But it was beginning to rain harder so they had to break the kiss. Harry whined when Niall pulled away and Harry's cheeks flushed instantly red, embarrassed by the noise he had made. Niall giggled at Harry's embarrassment and Harry buried his face in Niall's neck shyly.  
  
  
  
''Where's your coat?'' Niall asked when he hugged Harry.  
  
  
  
Harry lifted his head to answer. ''I, uhm, I kind of forgot to put in on... Because I really wanted to see you and yeah,'' Harry felt his face heat up for the second time and he wrapped his arms around Niall's neck and hid his face there again.  
  
  
  
''Hey, don't be shy. I think it's very cute,'' Niall giggled.  
  
  
  
''I'm embarrassed,'' Harry murmured against Niall's skin.  
  
  
  
''Aw, you don't have to be. Come on, I think I saw an umbrella in the storage room,'' Niall walked back inside with Harry trailing behind him. Harry slipped his hand in Niall's and walked closely behind him, desperate for some warmth. After some searching, Niall found one and they walked outside again. Niall unfolded the umbrella and held it above both of their heads while Harry still clung to Niall.   
  
  
  
They practically ran to the University and Harry sighed with relief when they stepped into his dorm.  
  
  
  
'''Tadaaaaa, welcome to my beautiful mansion,'' Harry walked around with his arms spread in his small dorm until he stood in the middle of the room. ''What do you think?''  
  
  
  
''I think it's perfect for a movie night,'' Niall wiggled his eyebrows.  
  
  
  
''I think so too, but I have homework so you have to entertain yourself for about an hour while I finish my homework okay?'' Harry smiled sweetly.  
  
  
  
''Alright, then. I'll just... '' Niall looked around for something to do. ''Oh, can I use your laptop?''  
  
  
  
''Sure. Now, be quiet. I have to concentrate,'' Harry stole a kiss from Niall and sat down at his desk.  
  
  
  
\----  
  
  
  
''I give up,'' Harry sighed in frustration. He clapped his math book closed and let his head fall on his folded arms in front of him. Harry heard Niall close is laptop and walk up to him.   
  
  
  
''Hey, come on, it's not that bad,'' Niall unfolded Harry's arms and sat on his lap with his legs on each side of the chair so that he could face Harry.  
  
  
  
''But it  _is_  that bad,'' Harry leaned his forehead against Niall's shoulder. ''I'm never going to pass math,'' Harry sighed dramatically again.  
  
  
  
Niall grabbed Harry's face between two hands and kissed him slowly. Harry smiled into the kiss and he wrapped his arms around Niall's waist to pull him closer. Their kiss was a little clumsy and their noses bumped into each other a few times but it was okay and it made them both giggle a bit and they were happy. Harry noticed that Niall's cheeks were a bit red when they pulled away and it wouldn't surprise him if he looked the same. His hair was probably a mess since Niall couldn't keep his hands away from it but it was okay. Harry wasn't complaining.  
  
  
  
Harry sighed again. ''I'll just finish it tomorrow. My classes start at 12 so I'll have enough time.'' Harry pushed Niall of his lap gently and walked to his bed. He patted on the spot next to him, motioning for Niall to sit there. ''Alright, we can watch a movie. I have The Notebook and... Yeah that's it, actually.''  
  
  
  
Niall chuckled. ''I love The Notebook. One of my favourites.''  
  
  
  
''No way! The Notebook is my favourite, too!'' Harry looked at Niall with a surprised look. Niall faced Harry and looked in his eyes. He leaned forward and nudged Harry's nose for an Eskimo kiss. It made Harry giggle and he placed a tiny peck on Niall's pink lips.  
  
  
  
Then, Harry returned his attention back to the laptop in front of him and he inserted the DVD. Niall slung his arm over Harry's shoulder and pulled him into his chest. He placed one hand on Harry's curls and played with them while the other hand was linked with Harry's.   
  
  
  
After the film, Harry pulled away from Niall and hoped Niall didn't see the unshed tears in his eyes. He just loved The Notebook. He could watch it every day and still cry. Of course, it didn't go unnoticed by Niall.   
  
  
  
''Aw, are you crying?'' he cooed.   
  
  
  
''No,'' Harry said weakly.  
  
  
  
''You're adorable.'' And of course that made Harry blush again. He tucked his face in the crook of Niall's neck and felt the vibrations of Niall's giggles. ''You're so cute when you're all embarrassed and shy.''  
  
  
  
That didn't really help to make Harry's blush go away so he just stayed where he was. Niall on the other hand couldn't stop gushing over how cute Harry was and Niall couldn't resist the urge of squeezing Harry a little closer to his own body. So he wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and squeezed really tight. But  _really_  tight.   
  
  
  
''I can't breathe,'' Harry coughed dramatically and tried to pull away but Niall wasn't budging. They ended up on the floor with Harry on top of Niall while he tickled Niall's sides.  
  
  
  
''S-stop, I-I can't, p-please,'' Harry decided that it was enough payback so he removed his hands from Niall's body.   
  
  
  
''Alright, you're lucky this time but don't think you'll get away that easy next time,'' Harry playfully threatened.  
  
  
  
Niall just laughed and pulled Harry down to hug him. It was kind of an awkward position, Niall on the ground and Harry straddling him while Harry's bum was sticking out because Niall had his arms wrapped around his neck, but it was nice. Niall sighed with content and Harry pulled away. He stood up and helped Niall up, too.   
  
  
  
''I really wish you could stay longer but it's already eleven and I have to go to work tomorrow,'' Niall said sadly.  
  
  
  
''Aw, nooo, just sleep here! We could cuddle and then you can go to your work from here tomorrow,'' Harry suggested.  
  
  
  
''No, nonono, you have school tomorrow and you have homework to make and I don't want to be the cause of your bad grades. So you go to sleep now and I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?'' Niall grabbed both Harry's hands while Harry pouted.  
  
  
  
''Okay,'' Harry huffed.  
  
  
  
''Hey, don't be sad. I don't like it when you're sad,'' Niall let go of Harry's hands to wrap his arms around Harry's waist. Harry couldn't keep up his act and hugged Niall back happily.  
  
  
  
''Bye, boyfriend,'' Niall said grinning.   
  
  
  
''Bye, boyfriend,'' Harry said with a blush on his cheeks. He hugged Niall one last time before he let him go. Niall was about to open the door of Harry's dorm when Harry tugged on his arm.  
  
  
  
''Hey, where's my goodbye kiss?'' he said cheekily.  
  
  
  
Niall threw his arms around Harry's neck and kissed him softly. It didn't last long though because Niall really had to go home now. Harry pecked Niall's lips two more times and then released Niall from the firm grip he had on his waist.   
  
  
  
''See you tomorrow during lunch time?'' Niall asked.  
  
  
  
''Yeah,'' Harry led Niall to the door. ''I promise.'' And then he waved and Niall was gone. Now Harry had to wait until lunchtime tomorrow until he could see Niall again. Oh god, he was falling hard for this boy. 


	15. Chapter 15

It was 8 in the morning when Harry woke up by the beeping of his phone. He picked it up and saw a text message from Niall.

 

**To Harry:** ****  
  
_good morning! slept well? I'm going to the record store now! can't wait to see you in a few hours :) x_ _  
_

 

**To Niall:** ****  
  
_hiii, can't wait either! I slept lovely btw thank you :) xx_ _  
_

 

Harry put his phone on his nightstand again and fell back on his pillow. He had another three hours before his first class started at 12. So he snuggled further into his blanket and closed his eyes again. He tried to fall asleep but all he could think about was Niall and everything that made him...  _Niall_. It made him giddy. He concluded that he couldn't go back to sleep so he stepped out of his bed and walked to the bathroom where he took a shower. When he came out he remembered his math homework that was still not finished so he took it with him to the cafeteria where he bought some breakfast. 

  
  
  
He was almost done when Louis sat next to him. Harry looked up and saw that Louis had a goofy grin on his face. Harry suspiciously watched him but Louis didn't seem to notice.

  
  
  
''Why are you so happy?'' Harry finally asked.

  
  
  
''I'm just excited to go to class, Harry!'' he answered innocently.

  
  
  
''Right...'' Harry shrugged it off and went back to his math to solve the last problem.

  
  
  
After a few minutes he finally closed his book and looked up to see Louis still with the idiotic grin plastered on his face.

  
  
  
''Okay, what's happening?'' Harry demanded.

  
  
  
''Nothing!'' Louis tried to avoid looking in Harry's eyes and that's when he saw Eleanor walking to their table. Harry immediately noticed the faint blush on Louis cheeks. Harry gasped.

  
  
  
''Do you have a crush on her or something?'' he loudly asked Louis.

  
  
  
''Jesus, Harry, let the whole world know,'' Louis hissed.

  
  
  
''What? You did the same with me and Niall. Do you want me to meddle? I'll help you! Don't worry,'' Harry smirked smugly. Louis had embarrassed him many times in front of Niall so now was the perfect timing for payback. Harry opened his mouth to comment on the tension between Louis and Eleanor when Louis slapped his hand on Harry's mouth.

  
  
  
Eleanor sat down frowning but Louis smiled innocently at her. Harry pried Louis fingers from his mouth but Louis wasn't budging. Harry only knew one way to solve the problem. He licked Louis hand and immediately, Louis retrieved his hand. 

  
  
  
''EW,'' he screeched. 

  
  
  
Harry just ignored it. ''So did you guys kiss yet?''

  
  
  
Eleanor almost choked on her drink and Louis face turned completely red. 

  
  
  
''Ah, so I see that as a yes?'' Harry continued.

  
  
  
Eleanor and Louis both stayed silent and Harry's mouth formed a devilish grin. 

  
  
  
''Ah, young love,'' he said dreamily. ''You know, Louis, you should just ask her out!''

  
  
  
''Harry, stop it!'' Louis hid his face in his hands.

  
  
  
''I'm just trying to help,'' Harry said sweetly. ''But I have class in five minutes so I'll leave you two alone now. I'll see you in the library at lunch time, okay?''

  
  
  
Louis groaned in response and Eleanor waved shortly. Harry smirked to himself. He was proud of himself that he could make Louis blush just as easily as Louis could make him blush. He hoped Louis would man up and ask the girl out already. They could go on double dates and stuff. 

  
  
  
He sat down in the lecture room and grabbed a pen and his books. He waited anxiously for the end of class so that he could go and see Niall again. 

  
  
  
\----

  
  
  
The teacher finally ended her lecture and Harry shot out of his chair. He grabbed his stuff and ran away, waving at the teacher as he ran past her. He hurried to the library where he would meet Eleanor and Louis. Luckily, they had already arrived. 

  
  
  
''Okay, let's go!'' Harry said as soon as he was within ear shot. 

  
  
  
Louis walked up to him and Eleanor followed closely. ''Thanks,'' Louis whispered in his ear. 

  
  
  
''For what?'' Harry frowned. Then he saw Eleanor's and Louis' linked hands. ''Ohh,'' he grinned. ''You're welcome.''

  
  
  
Harry couldn't wait to see Niall so he happily dragged his friends to the store and they arrived in record time. Harry walked in and searched for his boyfriend. He spotted him behind the counter, chatting with Liam, with his back turned to Harry. 

  
  
  
''Hello,'' Harry whispered when he stood behind Niall. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders from behind and Niall squealed. 

  
  
  
''Hi,'' Niall grinned before leaning in to capture Harry's lips in a sweet kiss. 

  
  
  
''Whoa, keep the affection on the down low, please. There are more people here,'' Louis interrupted rudely. 

  
  
  
Harry pulled away quickly, and grinned at Niall's red cheeks. He engulfed Niall in a hug and whispered 'I missed you' in his ear. 

  
  
  
''I missed you, too,'' Niall whispered back.

  
  
  
"I think Louis and Eleanor are together," Harry whispered again.

  
  
  
Niall gasped. "Really? We could go on double dates!" he whisper-yelled.

  
  
  
Harry giggled at his excited boyfriend. "That's what I thought, too."

  
  
  
"Hey, stop the giggling and whispering! That's rude!" Louis a _gain_  interrupted.

  
  
  
"Fuck off!" Niall said while he dragged Harry to the storage room. Niall sat down on the floor against the wall and motioned for Harry to sit on his lap.

  
  
  
Harry sat with his legs on either side of Niall's hips and faced him. Niall just wanted to feel Harry closer to him so he wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and hugged him tightly. Harry responded my wounding his arms around Niall's neck as he hugged back. 

  
  
  
Niall sighed with content and pulled back. "I really, really like you, Harry," he said, blushing.

  
  
  
Harry let a giggle escape from his mouth. "I really, really like you, too."

  
  
  
Harry leaned forward to conceal their confession with a kiss. Their lips molded together perfectly and the kiss soon became heated. Without noticing Harry started to rock his hips back and forth. Niall's breath hitched and he pulled away quickly.

  
  
  
"Harry, please s-stop," Niall's lip quivered and he was on the verge of tears. 

  
  
  
Harry didn't understand what he did wrong but when he looked at his boyfriend's face, he knew it was serious. 

  
  
  
"I'm sorry," Harry pulled Niall in his chest. "What did I do wrong?"

  
  
  
"Nothing, you did nothing wrong," Niall reassured Harry with a sad smile. 

  
  
  
"Then why are you crying?" Harry took Niall's face between both hands and stared in his eyes, looking for the answer.

  
  
  
"I-I'll tell you another time, yeah?" Niall looked back at Harry with watery eyes.

  
  
  
"Of course. You can tell me whenever you're ready," Harry pecked Niall's lips once and stood up. "Come on, they're probably wondering where we are."

  
  
  
Niall stood up too and entwined his fingers with Harry's. "Thank you," he simply said.

  
  
  
"For what?" Harry asked, confused.

  
  
  
"For being so patient and understanding."

  
  
  
"Everything for you," Harry smiled.

  
  
  
They walked out of the storage room together with their hands entwined. Liam was off to help a costumer and Eleanor and Louis were chatting. And by the look on Eleanor's face, Louis was obviously flirting.

  
  
  
"So, Niall and I were thinking that maybe we could go on a double date," Harry suggested when they had reached the couple. 

  
  
  
Louis looked at Eleanor. "If it's okay with you, I'm in."

  
  
  
"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Eleanor responded. 

  
  
  
"Yay!" Niall cheered as Harry pulled him closer to wrap an arm around his shoulder. 

  
  
  
"Tomorrow is Saturday, so we could go to the movies or something?" Harry asked.

  
  
  
They all answered some kind of agreement and Louis suggested to go see Paranormal Activity 4. 

  
  
  
"Alright! It's settled then," Niall grinned.


	16. Chapter 16

''Mom, I'm going to the movies with Louis, Eleanor and Harry today,'' Niall announced to his mom. His dad and brother were washing the car outside. His mom was making lunch in the kitchen when Niall walked in.

 

''Oh that's nice, sweetie,'' his mother smiled. ''Isn't Harry that boy who picked you up last week?''

 

Niall instantly flushed red. He hadn't told his parents about his new boyfriend. He didn't want them to worry about him. And he wanted to keep Harry for himself for a little while until he was ready to tell them. 

 

''Err, yeah, that's Harry,'' Niall answered nervously.

 

''Oh, he seems like a nice boy,'' his mother stopped with making lunch to face her son. ''You like him, don't you?''

 

''Well... I mean... Of course I like him, he's my friend,'' Niall spluttered. 

 

''You know what I mean, Niall,'' his mother gave him knowing look. 

 

Right at that moment, his brother and father came in. They both sat down at the table and waited for Maura to give them their lunch while they chatted. Niall didn't answer his mom and just sat down, too. His mom luckily decided not to ask further and let it drop. 

 

\----

 

**To Niall:**

_hey, the movie starts at 8. Louis said he could pick us up since he's borrowing his dad's car. see you at 7 in my dorm? xx_

 

**To Harry:**

_sounds good! see you then :) xx_

 

\----

 

At half past six, Niall was running around in his room, trying to find a good outfit. He didn't want to wear something too fancy since it was just a movie but he also didn't want to look like some hobo. Right when he was about to give up, his mom walked in. She carried some laundry and gasped when she saw the mess Niall had made. There were clothes thrown everywhere and Niall stood in his boxers in the middle of the mess with a guilty look on his face.

 

''Niall, what are you doing?'' his mom asked slowly.

 

''I couldn't decide what to wear,'' Niall answered innocently. 

 

His mom sighed and laughed. ''You didn't tell me tonight was going to be a date,'' his mother teased.

 

''It's not!'' Niall defended. 

 

''Of course it's not. Now, let me see,'' his mother picked up some clothes and threw them on Niall's bed. She picked a shirt and some jeans and left the other clothes in a pile on the bed. ''Here, just wear this.'' 

 

Niall threw on the clothes and examined himself in the mirror. He wore a plain white t-shirt with a grey varsity jacket and some jeans. He was satisfied with his outfit. As he walked past his mom, he kissed her cheek and said a quick 'thank you'. 

 

He walked to the bathroom and styled his hair in a small quiff. He glanced at his watch and ran downstairs. He threw on his white supras and yelled goodbye to his parents. It was a bit chilly outside but his varsity jacket was giving enough warmth. He walked to the metro station and made his way to Harry's dorm. 

 

He arrived after about 20 minutes and knocked on Harry's door. The door swung open and Harry stood there half naked. He wore black skinny jeans but his upper body was naked. Niall's eyes were drawn to Harry's body and Harry instantly covered it with his arms. Niall's eyes met Harry's and he noticed the blush on Harry's cheeks.

 

''Hi,'' Harry muttered.

 

Niall didn't answer but he walked in and unwrapped Harry's arms to hug his naked torso. He put his lips to Harry's ear and whispered, ''Why do you do that?''

 

''What?'' Harry still wasn't hugging Niall back.

 

''You covered up your body. Why did you do that?''

 

''Well... I just... I-I don't know,'' Harry gave in and wrapped his arms around Niall's neck. 

 

''Don't do that again, okay? There's no reason to be insecure. You're amazing,'' Niall blushed at his own statement and hid his face in Harry's neck.

 

Harry giggled a bit. ''Okay.'' 

 

Then they noticed that they still stood in the doorway so Harry untangled himself from Niall and closed the door. He walked back to his closet and stood in front of it.

 

''I don't know what to wear,'' he stated.

 

Niall walked behind him and hooked his chin on Harry's shoulder. ''Hm... Wear that,'' Niall pointed to a light blue button up. Harry obeyed and put it on. 

 

''Louis and Eleanor will be here in a few minutes,'' Harry walked up to Niall. ''And I haven't even got my hello-kiss,'' Harry pouted.

 

Niall giggled and leaned in. Their lips met and Harry's hands instantly flew to Niall's face to hold him in place. Their lips moved against each other and Niall hated to pull away but he had to breathe. He pulled away panting and with his cheeks flushed bright red. Harry looked the same, with still his hands on Niall's burning cheeks. Harry pecked Niall's lips a few times and Niall couldn't stop smiling. Harry pulled away completely and grabbed both Niall's hands and leaned his forehead against Niall's. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

 

Harry pulled away reluctantly and went to open the door. Louis stood there with Eleanor, their fingers entwined. 

 

''Ready to go?'' Louis asked.

 

''Yep,'' Niall grabbed Harry's hand and the four of them walked to Louis' car.

 

They arrived in 20 minutes and stood in line to get tickets for Paranormal Activity 4. The poster looked scary already and Niall wasn't sure if he was going to like this movie. They bought popcorn and a drink and went to search for their places in the cinema auditorium. They sat down and waited for the movie to start. Niall sat next to Harry and Harry sat next to Louis, who sat next to Eleanor. 

 

The movie started and Niall immediately searched for Harry's hand to hold. He grabbed it tightly and pulled their entwined hands in his lap. Niall had never been a fan of scary movies. He gripped Harry's arm with his other hand and hid his face in Harry's shoulder. 

 

''Are you scared?'' Harry whispered.

 

''No,'' Niall whimpered. 

 

Harry chuckled. ''I'll protect you.''

 

After an hour and a half, the film ended and they exited the cinema. It was dark outside and Niall clung to Harry. He walked as close as possible to Harry as they searched for the car. They got in the car and drove away. Eleanor and Louis were chatting excitedly about the movie but all Niall could do was sit as close to Harry as possible and squeeze his eyes shut. Harry didn't comment on Niall's behaviour but just pulled him closer. 

 

They arrived at the University and Harry wanted to exit the car but he was pulled back by Niall.

 

''No, no, don't go,'' Niall whimpered.

 

''C'mon, Niall. I have to go. Louis will bring you home, okay?'' Harry tried to reassure him.

 

''But... I'm scared,'' Niall whispered and pouted.

 

''Alright, you can come with me. It isn't that late yet. We can hang out in my dorm, yeah?'' Harry stepped out of the car and Niall followed closely. They waved goodbye to Louis and Eleanor and walked to Harry's dorm.

 

Harry opened the door with his key and stepped inside.

 

''Okay, what do you wanna do?'' Harry asked as he sat down on his bed with Niall still glued to him.

 

''I-I don't know,'' Niall said shakily. He looked around the room frantically.

 

''Niall? Are you really that scared? It was just a movie,'' Harry pried Niall's hands off his body.

 

Niall said nothing, but his face heated up. ''I know, but...'' he trailed off.

 

''Come here,'' Harry sat with his back against the wall on his bed and opened his arms.

 

Niall fell into them and wrapped his arms tightly around Harry's waist. He laid his head on Harry's chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. They stayed like that for an hour. They talked a little and giggled a lot. But after an hour of cuddling, Harry's eyes started to drop. He suppressed a yawn and pushed Niall off him gently.

 

''I'm so tired. I really have to go to bed now. So... You have to go home,'' Harry said carefully.

 

''No, no, please, it's dark out there and I'm alone and please, I don't want to go,'' Niall was begging now.

 

''You can stay... Tomorrow is Sunday so I don't have classes...'' Harry said thoughtfully. 

 

''Yes, yes, I can totally stay here. I'll call my parents to tell them that I'm staying here,'' Niall was already on his feet and fished his phone out of his pocket.

 

Harry giggled and kissed his cheek. Niall dialled the number and waited for someone to pick the phone up.

 

''Hello?'' his mother's voice rang through the phone.

 

''Hi, it's me. I.. uhh... We just came back from the movie and I'm going to stay at Harry's place for tonight, okay?''

 

''Yes, that's alright. Be careful, okay?'' his mother sounded concerned.

 

''I will and I promise, mom. Don't worry too much. I trust Harry,'' Niall said.

 

''Okay, don't have too much fun!'' his mom joked.

 

''Mom!'' Niall groaned. 

 

His mom chuckled. ''Goodnight, sweetie. Love you.''

 

''Goodnight. Love you, too.'' Niall presses the 'end call' button and sat next to Harry on the bed.

 

''Does she know about us?'' Harry asked.

 

''No... But I think she knows something is going on,'' Niall answered. ''I'm sorry I didn't tell her.''

 

''Hey, that's okay. I haven't told my parents either,'' Harry grins. ''C'mon, I'm knackered.''

 

''Yeah, me too,'' Niall shuffled behind Harry to the bathroom and watched as Harry brushed his teeth. He couldn't brush his teeth since he didn't have a toothbrush but that was okay. He could skip for one night. When Harry was done, they both undressed themselves.

 

''I always sleep in my boxers...'' Harry said awkwardly.

 

''Yeah, me too,'' Niall nervously chuckled.

 

They stepped into the single bed and shuffled around a bit until they were comfortable. 

 

''You know, this is the exact same position we had when we went camping in Louis' garden,'' Niall giggled in Harry's shoulder.

 

''How can I forget,'' Harry smiled.

 

They indeed lay in exactly the same position as they were when they had to share Harry's camping bed. They had a bit more space now so that was nice. Niall's bare chest was pressed against Harry's back and Harry had a tight grip on Niall's hand, pulling him closer.

 

Harry turned around to kiss Niall. He gave Niall a few lingering pecks on his lips and turned around again. 

 

''Goodnight,'' Niall mumbled sleepily.

 

''Night,'' Harry replied. 

 

And that's how they fell asleep, tightly wrapped around each other. Niall's lips rested on the back of Harry's neck and their legs a tangled mess. 


	17. Chapter 17

Niall woke up with a warm, fuzzy feeling in his tummy. Harry had turned around in his sleep so he had his face tucked in Niall's neck and his arms around Niall's waist, holding him tightly. Niall smiled and squeezed Harry closer to him. Then, he leaned back a bit and admired Harry's face. He rested his hand softly on Harry's cheek and traced Harry's red lips with his thumb. Harry's mouth was slightly open and if Niall listened closely, he would hear soft snores. 

 

His hand travelled further and Niall was so busy with caressing Harry's face that he didn't see Harry's plump lips forming a smile. Harry didn't want to interrupt Niall in what he was doing so he kept his eyes shut and focussed on the feeling of Niall's hands against his skin.

 

After a minute, Niall noticed Harry's smile and he softly giggled. He pressed a kiss to Harry's lips and nudged his nose with Harry's.

 

''Morning,'' Niall lazily smiled. 

 

''Hi,'' Harry answered as he finally opened his eyes.

 

The first thing Harry saw were Niall’s blue eyes burning a hole in his face. He felt his cheeks heat up so he buried his head in the crook of Niall's neck again. Niall giggled and hugged Harry close to his body.

 

''Hey, where's my good morning-kiss?'' he cheekily asked.

 

''I can't give you one,'' Harry mumbled against Niall's skin.

 

Niall gasped. ''Why not?'' he said as he began to stroke Harry's hair.

 

''Because... I have morning breath,'' Harry almost whispered. He didn't even know why he was embarrassed.

 

''But me too so that's okay,'' Niall chuckled. ''Now come here, my lips are waiting.''

 

Harry shyly raised his head and leaned in. Niall closed the gap between them and pushed his lips on Harry's. They kissed lazily for a few minutes and their bodies were glued together. Harry smiled in the kiss and with a last peck, he pulled away. Niall sighed and kissed Harry's cheek happily. 

 

''Alright, let's take a shower and get some breakfast, yeah?'' Niall suggested.

 

''Yeah, sounds good!'' Harry agreed. ''Do you want to shower first?''

 

''You know... We could save water and shower together...?'' Niall blushed.

 

''Err, but, I-I don't... I'm not...'' Harry stuttered.

 

''Just shower, Harry. Nothing more,'' Niall brushed his thumb over Harry's burning cheek.

 

''O-okay,'' Harry tried to sound confident. Harry had never been in a relationship before so, obviously, he was still a virgin. He knew Niall took things slowly and he liked that because he wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet. And taking a shower together wouldn't hurt, right?

 

So Niall grabbed Harry's hand, took two clean boxers from Harry's drawer and guided him to the bathroom. When they arrived, Niall walked to the shower and turned it on. He tested the water with his hand and when he was satisfied he walked back to Harry.

 

''Are you sure you're okay with this?'' Niall asked when he saw Harry's scared eyes.

 

''Yeah, I want this,'' Harry reassured Niall.

 

Then, Niall slowly undressed himself. Since they were only in his boxers, it didn't take long. When Harry didn't make a move, Niall decided to help him. He hooked his fingers inside the hem of Harry's boxers and pushed them down. 

 

''Don't think too much,'' Niall said as he kissed Harry's cheek.

 

Harry stepped out of his underwear and entwined his fingers with Niall's as they stepped into the shower. The water was nice and warm and Harry felt content. Niall looked absolutely adorable with his hair all wet and in his face and Harry couldn't help but throw his arms around Niall's neck and hug him. Niall giggled and stroked Harry's back lightly.

 

Niall reached down to grab the shampoo and squirted some in his hands. He rubbed them together and then pushed his hands in Harry's wet locks. Harry squeezed his eyes shut so that the shampoo didn't come in his eyes while Niall massaged his scalp. Suddenly Harry heard Niall giggle. He opened his eyes and saw Niall in a fit of laughter. 

 

''What?'' he asked confused.

 

''Look in the mirror,'' Niall said while he tried to catch his breath. 

 

Harry stepped out of the shower and ignored the mess he made to walk to the mirror above the sink. There, he saw what Niall had done. His hair was styled in a perfect Mohawk. He looked ridiculous. He laughed and quickly padded back to the shower. He began to shiver and sighed when he stood in the warm heat of the shower again.

 

''You look cute, huh?'' Niall smiled.

 

''I look like an idiot,'' Harry laughed.

 

''My idiot,'' Niall said before he pressed his lips to Harry's for a sweet kiss.

 

''Cheesy,'' Harry mumbled against Niall's lips.

 

They pulled away before the kiss got too heated and now it was Harry's turn to wash Niall's hair. Niall's eyes fluttered closed as Harry's fingers worked magically on his scalp. Harry smiled when he saw Niall's expression. He pressed his lips to Niall's again while his hands were still tangled in Niall's hair.

 

After that, they washed each other with body wash and Niall giggled when he noticed Harry's four nipples. Harry blushed when Niall washed each of them and Niall muttered something like 'you're too cute'. Of course, that made Harry blush even more so he wrapped his arms around Niall's shoulders and buried his face in his arms. Niall just laughed and pulled him closer. 

 

When Niall's laughter died down, it was completely silent between them. The only sound was the clatter of the water and it was so peaceful. And Harry wished he could stay in this moment forever because this was really all he needed. He felt happy in Niall's arms and he closed his eyes with content. But the water was running cold so they had to get out.

 

''That was fun,'' Niall concluded as they were both drying themselves.

 

''Yeah, we should do it again sometime,'' Harry said.

 

''Totally.''

 

\----

 

They both got dressed and went to the Starbucks to grab some lunch. They decided that they wanted to spend their day together cuddling and basically doing nothing so Niall texted his mom to say that he was coming home in the evening. 

 

They finished their breakfast and walked back to Harry's dorm. They sat down on Harry's bed and sat opposite from each other with their legs crossed and their knees touching. They stared at each other for a while until Niall broke the silence.

 

''I want to tell you something,'' Niall started.

 

''What?'' 

 

''Do you want to know why I freaked out the other day when we were in the storage room?'' Niall's eyes were now glued to his hands in his lap. 

 

''Only if you're ready to tell me,'' Harry answered.

 

Niall's heart swelled with love and he leaned over to peck Harry's lips. When he sat back he cleared his throat.

 

''You deserve to know. And I trust you,'' Niall took a deep breath. What he was about to tell was still hurting him and he was not over it yet. But Harry was being so understanding and sweet that Niall thought that he owned Harry an explanation.

 

''Okay, so when I lived in Ireland I had a boyfriend, Zayn. And I was in love and he said that he loved me too and I believed him. He was always so protective and sweet and I just couldn't be happier,'' Niall's head hung low as he watched how he played with his fingers.

 

''And he said he would never hurt me and...'' Niall swallowed back tears. ''A-and I trusted him completely. And eventually he asked me if I was ready to take the next step in our relationship. So I said yes, because I loved him and I thought I was ready. I was a virgin and he was, too. So our first time was amazing and I loved it and...'' Niall tried to calm himself down. He breathed in and out and still avoided Harry's eyes. Because he knew that if he looked Harry in the eyes he would burst into tears.

 

''But after our first time, he wanted more. And even when I didn't want to have sex, he just said that I didn't love him and that if I really loved him I wouldn't reject him. So the first few times I gave in, although I was totally not enjoying it anymore. And when I started to fight back when I really didn't want to, he...'' Niall couldn't talk further. Tears were pouring down his cheeks. 

 

Harry couldn't just sit back and watch, so he climbed on Niall's lap and straddled him. He wrapped his arms around Niall's neck and whispered reassuring things in his ear. Niall fisted Harry's sweater and sobbed in Harry's neck. When he calmed down, he pulled away a little so that he could talk again. Harry wiped Niall's wet cheeks dry with the sleeve of his sweater.

 

''He started to hit me whenever he wanted sex. He started to force me to obey him otherwise he'd beat me up. I was so scared but I still loved him so I didn't tell anyone. Eventually my brother started to question me about all the bruises on my body and one day I just couldn't take it anymore and I told him everything,'' Niall finished and Harry hugged him again. 

 

''Is that why you moved to London?'' Harry asked softly.

 

''Yeah, Zayn kept chasing me so we had to move,'' Niall explained.

 

''Are you okay now?'' Harry lifted Niall's chin to look him in the eyes.

 

''Yes, because now I have you,'' Niall smiled but his eyes were still sad. Harry hugged him tightly and he rocked them back and forth.

 

''Let's watch a movie to cheer you up, okay?'' Harry suggested. 

 

''Yeah, I'd like that,'' Niall sniffled.

 

They spent the rest of the day cuddling in bed and watching The Notebook over and over again. Niall felt safe in Harry's strong arms but at the end of the day, Niall felt exhausted. So Harry decided to walk him home because he wanted to make sure Niall came home safely. When they arrived at Niall's home it was about 6 PM. Niall greeted his parents and brother and Harry awkwardly waved. Niall told his parents that he was really tired so he asked them to wake him when dinner was ready. Harry brought him to his bedroom and tucked him in bed. He kissed Niall's cheek and saw that Niall was already asleep. He exited Niall's house and walked back to his dorm. 


	18. Chapter 18

''Niaaaaaall, where are youuuu?'' Harry walked into the empty record shop. It was 11 AM and all his classes where finished for today so he had the rest of the day to annoy Niall while he was working. He knew the record shop was always closed until 1 PM on Mondays. 

 

''HARRY!'' Harry suddenly felt a weight on his back. Soft lips touched his cheek and he immediately knew who it was. Harry walked to the counter with Niall still on his back and stood with his back facing the counter so Niall could climb on it. When Niall sat safely, Harry turned around and stood in between his legs.

 

''So, why is the door unlocked when the store is still closed?'' Harry smirked.

 

''Oh... err; I might've forgotten to lock it after I came in...'' Niall said looking guilty.

 

''You're so cute,'' Harry leaned forward and kissed Niall.

 

Niall wrapped his legs around Harry's waist and his arms around Harry's neck. Their lips moved together slowly and just when Niall was about to deepen the kiss, Liam walked in and coughed awkwardly.

 

They broke apart and Harry hid his blushing face in Niall's shoulder. ''Make him go away,'' Harry whined. ''You guys always interrupt us.''

 

''That's because you can't stop touching each other even when you're in a public place,’’ Liam smirked. ''Not everyone enjoys watching you two do dirty things together.''

 

''We don't even do dirty things together!'' Harry groaned and placed his face in the crook of Niall's neck again, an embarrassing blush burning on his cheeks. 

 

Niall laughed out loud and tightened his arms around Harry's neck. ''What are you doing here? Don't you have class?'' Niall asked.

 

''Nah, my class ended at eleven. So, I thought; why not visit my adorable boyfriend?'' Harry giggled and kissed Niall's neck. 

 

''I want to introduce you to my parents,'' Niall blurted out.

 

Harry raised his head. ''Okay, let's go!'' Harry grabbed Niall's hand and wanted to pull him off of the counter.

 

Niall started laughing. ''Not now! I have to work!'' 

 

''But... Can't you take a day off or something?'' Harry pouted.

 

''Hm... I came here around 8 today so maybe if I work until 1 PM, I'll be allowed to leave,'' Niall said thoughtfully. ''I'll go ask it!''

 

Niall jumped off the counter and walked to his boss' office. He had a short conversation with his boss and came out of the office after 5 minutes.

 

''And?'' Harry asked hopefully.

 

''I can leave when the shop opens. He said he could arrange a reservist,'' Niall said happily and although he was excited to introduce Harry as his boyfriend to his parents, he was also scared. He was scared that they would worry about him too much since his last relationship ended in a disaster not long ago. But he was determined to prove that Harry was so much different than Zayn. 

 

''I'll wait here,'' Harry said as he sat down on a chair behind the counter to watch Niall. 

 

But after an hour, Liam got tired of Harry constantly bothering Niall while he was working. He knew Niall couldn't resist Harry so every time Harry asked for a kiss, Niall obliged. And it happened not once, but, like, every minute.

 

''Alright, this is never going to work. Harry, give Niall one last kiss and after that you are going to let him do his job and you are going to sit on that chair and stay there until it's one o'clock, okay?'' Liam said sternly.

 

''Yes, sir!'' Harry giggled and kissed Niall one last time before he sat down on his chair again. 

 

And in the next hour Harry proceeded to leave Niall alone. Harry messed about with the computer and kept quiet. When Liam went to open the shop, Harry shot out of his chair and ran over to Niall. 

 

''You're done, let's go,'' he dragged Niall to the exit grabbed his bag at the same time. They hurried past Liam, who wished them good luck and they were on their way to Niall's house.

 

''But wait... Are your parents home today? I mean, don't they have to work or something...?'' Harry asked.

 

''Today is my father's day off and my mother always comes home around 12 on Mondays,'' Niall answered while he swayed their joined hands back and forth. 

 

They arrived at Niall's house a few minutes later. Niall unlocked the door and swung it open.

 

''I'm home!'' Niall toed off his shoes and threw his jacket on the coat rack. He motioned for Harry to do the same. 

 

''I brought someone,'' he said as he walked into the living room where his dad sat. ''Where's mom?''

 

''She's in the kitchen. Why?'' his father looked up from his newspaper.

 

''I want to tell you guys something,'' Niall took Harry's hand and walked to the kitchen.

 

''Mom? Can you come to the living room? I want to tell you and dad something,'' Niall asked his mother.

 

''Of course, sweetie,'' she smiled and eyed Harry for a second and then walked past them to the living room. 

 

When they both sat down, Niall cleared his throat. ''Okay. So as you may know, I have been very happy lately and that's mainly because of Harry here,'' Niall smiled as he saw Harry's cheeks turn pink. ''And that’s because he’s my boyfriend,'' he finished.

 

His mother stood up to shake Harry's hand. Harry felt insecure under Niall's parents gaze. He shook Maura's hand and smiled politely. Niall sensed Harry's discomfort so he gently laid his hand on Harry's lower back. 

 

''Relax,'' Niall whispered in his ear.

 

Harry nodded and held out his hand for Niall's father to shake. ''You seem like a nice kid,'' Niall's dad, Bobby, smiled warmly. ''No need to be nervous. We don't bite.''

 

That made Harry blush because Bobby was right. He didn't even know why he was so nervous. He knew Niall wouldn't leave him if his parents wouldn't approve of him. But he wanted to let Niall's parents know that he had no intention of hurting Niall in any way. 

 

Harry wanted to make that clear so he cleared his throat and threw his arm over Niall's shoulder to pull him close. ''I just want to let you know that I'm not with Niall to hurt him. He told me what happened to him and I don't understand how somebody could do that to him because he's so damn adorable. I would never hurt him and I  _could_  never hurt him. Because hurting him means hurting myself. I'm with him to support him and to make him happy. I will never ever hurt Niall, I promise,'' he finished his little speech and smiled at Niall. Niall kissed him on his cheek and Harry giggled.

 

''Thank you, Harry,'' Maura said. ''That's nice to hear.''

 

Niall's father patted Harry on his shoulder and walked to the kitchen. Maura followed him and left Niall and Harry on their own standing in the living room. 

 

''That wasn't that bad, right?'' Niall asked as he sat down on the couch.

 

Harry sat next to him, leaving almost no space between them. ''No, I think I made a good first impression.''

 

''You sure did,'' Niall giggled and pecked Harry on his mouth. He pulled away after that but Harry chased his lips. He whined and brought his hands up to cup Niall's cheeks, pulling him in for a sweet kiss. They were so in their own little world that they didn't hear Greg coming home. He stood frozen in the doorway as he watched his little brother kiss some boy he didn't know.

 

He cleared his throat to let them know of his presence. Harry quickly pulled away and Niall turned his head to Greg's direction. 

 

''Uh, Niall? Who's this?'' Greg vaguely remembered Harry from when Harry had picked Niall up last week. 

 

''This is Harry, my boyfriend,'' Niall explained.

 

A smile spread on Greg's face. He was glad to see his brother so happy again after all he'd been through. Greg walked to the couch and shook Harry's hand. ''Nice to meet you.''

 

''Nice to meet you, too,'' Harry still had a faint blush on his face. 

 

Then, Maura appeared in the doorway. ''Would you like to join us for dinner, Harry?''

 

Harry looked at Niall for approval. Niall nodded and smiled. ''Yes, I'd love to.''

 

''Okay, we'll be in my room, bye,'' Niall grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him to his room. He faintly heard his brother mutter something like 'keep the noise down', which, of course, made Harry blush again.

 

''You blush a lot,'' Niall stated when they sat down on Niall's bed. 

 

''Sorry, I can't help it,'' Harry muttered.

 

''That's okay. It's really cute,'' Niall opened his arms and Harry fell into them. They shuffled around a bit to get comfortable and they spent the rest of the day talking and cuddling. Harry commented on everything he saw in Niall's room and Niall just sat back with Harry still tightly wrapped up in his warm embrace to listen to Harry and to think about how lovely he was and how hard he was falling for this cute little dork. 


	19. Chapter 19

Later that week, on Friday night, they were all hanging out in Harry's dorm. Louis, Eleanor and Liam were sitting on Harry's bed, while Niall sat on Harry's lap who sat on a chair. It was a bit small,  _too small_  actually but it was okay. They had bought some junk food and Louis brought a movie. They were watching The Conjuring. Well, Niall wasn't actually watching. He didn't want to embarrass himself again by acting like scared 5-year old. So he just sat sideways on Harry's lap with his face tucked in Harry's neck.

 

The movie was not finished yet but Harry turned his head slightly and Niall raised his head. Harry looked Niall in the eye and raised his hand to stroke Niall's cheek. 

 

''I want you introduce you to my family, too,'' Harry whispered.

 

''Really? You don't have to. Do it when you're ready, yeah?'' Niall leaned in Harry's touch.

 

''But I'm ready now. I want my parents to know about you,'' Harry assured.

 

''Alright then. When do you wanna go home?''

 

''I was thinking this weekend. I haven't seen my parents in three weeks now, and even though they call, like, every day, I kind of miss them,'' Harry confessed.

 

''Sounds good. I'll ask my parents if I can go,'' Niall smiled and captured Harry's lips with his own. 

 

''Trying to watch a movie here!'' Louis yelled and Eleanor slapped him on the back of his head before kissing his cheek. 

 

Harry pulled away giggling and Niall blushed. Niall wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and placed his head in the crook of Harry's neck again. He kissed the skin there and closed his eyes.

 

\----

 

Niall woke up and looked around. He was lying on Harry's bed and Harry was lying next to him with his arm thrown over Niall's waist. Niall sat up confused. He couldn't remember falling asleep. He remembered watching that scary movie. He shuffled around a bit and slowly, Harry was waking up.

 

''What're you doing?'' Harry asked sleepily.

 

''My parents probably don't know that I'm staying here. They must be worried. Oh god, I have to go home,'' Niall was already on his feet but Harry pulled him back by grabbing his waist.

 

''Your mom called and I answered your phone. You looked so cute so I didn’t want to wake you up. I told her you were staying here, don't worry,'' Harry kept his eyes closed while he talked. ''Now come back here, I wanna cuddle.''

 

Niall grinned and climbed back in bed. He was only in his boxers and Harry was, too. 

 

Niall smirked. ''Did you undress me?'' Niall asked teasingly.

 

Harry's eyes sprung open and his cheeks turned a pretty shade of red. 

 

''Well, I couldn't let you sleep in your clothes. That'd be uncomfortable so I thought, you know. I mean, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-, I don't even know-, but yeah,'' Harry groaned and hid his face in his pillow.

 

He heard Niall giggle and Harry felt even more embarrassed so he turned his back to Niall with a huff. Niall's laughter died down and Harry felt an arm snake around his waist. Niall pressed soft kisses on Harry's neck.

 

''Hey, don't be mad. I think it's really cute that you thought about my well-being,'' Niall supressed his laughter.

 

Harry groaned again. ''You just want to embarrass me.''

 

''Yup, you're just too adorable when you're blushing,'' Niall drew his fingers through Harry's hair.

 

''Not helping,'' Harry mumbled as his face turned a deeper shade of red.

 

Niall rolled Harry's body so that he was facing Niall again. Harry covered his face with his hands and leaned his head against Niall's shoulder. Niall just laughed and pressed Harry's body closer to his own. 

 

''Did you also tell my parents that I'll be staying with you for the whole weekend?'' Niall mumbled in Harry's curls.

 

''You're staying for the whole weekend?!'' Harry's head shot up and looked at Niall hopefully.

 

''Well, yeah, I mean if that's okay with you and your parents. I don't want to stay for one day and then go back by myself. Because I thought that you'd stay for the whole weekend so, you know, I thought; why not? But it's okay if you don't want me to stay, I can go back. You decide, I don-'' Niall got cut off by Harry's lips.

 

''Yes, I want you to stay. Of course I want you to stay! Why are you so insecure about that?'' Harry mumbled against Niall's lips.

 

Niall pulled away. ''Because I don't want to be too clingy. That didn't work out in my last relationship either,'' Niall said sadly.

 

''Hey, hey, look at me,'' Harry tilted Niall's head up. ''I love it when you're clingy, because it makes me feel like you need me too.''

 

''Of course I need you too,'' Niall kissed his boyfriend softly on his lips.

 

Harry smiled and lay back on his pillow. ''Good, now cuddle with me. It's gonna be a big day tomorrow.''

 

''Why? Your parents know you're gay right?''

 

''Well, not really...'' Harry said, turning his gaze away from Niall's eyes.

 

''What do you mean?'' Niall pulled back slightly.

 

''I never really... I just never  _knew_  that I was gay. Like, I've never been in a relationship before so I just, I don't know. I was never really attracted to someone until you came along,'' Harry explained, pulling Niall closer again.

 

''Well, I'm flattered then,'' Niall giggled and pecked Harry's lips. ''Good night, Hazzy.''

 

Harry laughed at the silly nickname. ''Good night, Nially.''

 

Giggling, Niall pulled Harry closer and Harry wrapped his arms around Niall's waist while Niall's arms were around Harry's shoulders. Harry buried his face in Niall's neck and sighed with content. Niall smiled fondly and kissed Harry's curls. They fell asleep like that, both with nervous butterflies flying around in their stomachs.


	20. Chapter 20

Harry woke up and immediately felt Niall's arms securely around him. He remembered what day it was and a wave of nervousness rushed through his body. He was going to tell his parents today. He was going to tell them about him being gay and having a boyfriend. Well, he actually wasn't sure if he was gay because he'd never been attracted to another guy besides Niall before. It was all a bit confusing and Harry was too sleepy to think about it. 

 

''Hey, what are you thinking about?'' Harry heard Niall's groggy morning voice ask.

 

Harry wriggled himself upwards a bit so that he could lay his head next to Niall's. 

 

''Just thinking about today. I'm kind of scared, you know,'' Harry admitted.

 

''Are your parents open-minded?'' Niall asked after he had pressed a kiss to Harry's cheek.

 

''Yeah, they are. They always tell me to be myself and all that,'' Harry answered, snuggling closer to Niall's warm body.

 

''Well, then I'm sure they will accept you the way you are. Don't think about it too much, yeah?'' Niall brushed a stray curl behind Harry's ear. 

 

''Yeah, I know but still, what if they don't accept me or us?'' Harry said unsure.

 

''Let's just not think about that, okay? Let's just assume that they will accept us. And if they don't, then we'll find a way to fix it, I promise,'' Niall smiled reassuring.

 

''Okay,'' Harry sighed. He nudged Niall's nose with his own for an Eskimo kiss and giggled when Niall pressed his lips to Harry's. They let their lips move in sync for a few seconds and when Harry pulled away, Niall let out an unsatisfied groan. 

 

''Nooo,'' Niall mumbled as he chased Harry's lips. ''We're not done yet.''

 

He found Harry's lips again and connected them. Niall totally ignored both of their morning breaths and just kissed Harry with so much love. Harry felt tingly all over his body and his stomach was going crazy with butterflies. He placed his warm hands on Niall's lower back to pull him closer while Niall's hands were lost in Harry's hair. Harry was again the one to pull away, panting and searching for breath.

 

''Damn, you're such a good kisser,'' Harry said between breaths.

 

Niall blushed and giggled happily. He rolled Harry over until Harry was on his back and Niall climbed on top of him. He straddled him and sat with his bum on Harry's lower stomach. Harry opened his arms with a grin and Niall fell into them. Niall wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and Harry pulled the duvet over them again since it was half hanging off of the bed. Harry wrapped them both up in the blanket and slipped his arms underneath it. He raked his hands over Niall's bare back and felt Niall tense.

 

''I'm sorry,'' Harry pulled away his hands and kissed Niall's cheek.

 

''It's alright,'' Niall smiled weakly. ''It just takes time to be able to be so close to someone again.''

 

''I'll wait forever if I have to,'' Harry wound his arms around Niall's waist.

 

''I know,'' Niall stretched is legs and rested his whole body on top of Harry's. ''You're amazing.''

 

Harry smiled goofily. ''Thanks and you're really heavy. I can't breathe,'' Harry cried out dramatically.

 

''Idiot,'' Niall rolled off of him and stood up. ''Come on, we have to shower and get ready.''

 

''Ugh, nooo,'' Harry pulled the duvet over his head and curled up in a ball.

 

Niall lifted up the duvet and pulled on Harry's hand. He dragged Harry out of the bed and he landed on the ground with a loud thud.

 

''OW! That hurts, you know!'' Harry pouted. ''Kiss it better,'' he demanded.

 

''I'm not gonna kiss your bum,'' Niall laughed.

 

''Ugh, I meant my lips, weirdo,'' Harry said, rolling his eyes and puckering his lips.

 

Niall crouched down and pecked Harry's lips. Then he quickly stood up and ran to the bathroom. He heard Harry get up and run after him. Niall didn't even make it to the bathroom until Harry already had his arms around Niall's waist from behind.

 

''Are we gonna shower together again?'' Harry whispered in Niall's ear.

 

''Yeah,'' Niall turned around in Harry's arms and slung his arms around Harry's neck. ''If you want to.''

 

''Of course I want to,'' Harry pecked Niall's lips and released Niall. He grabbed Niall's hand and led him to the shower.

 

They both undressed and Niall didn't have to help Harry this time. Harry still felt a little bit awkward but he was okay when they both stood under the warm water and Niall had his wet body pressing against Harry's and his forehead leaning against Harry's shoulder. Yes, he was definitely okay. 

 

\---

 

''Ready?'' Niall asked as they stood in front of Harry's house in Holmes Chapel.

 

''As ready as I'll ever be,'' Harry sighed.

 

''It'll be alright,'' Niall pecked Harry's cheek and rang the doorbell.

 

Harry's mother opened the door. She was wearing an apron and cooking gloves. 

 

''Harry! How are you, my baby?'' Harry's mother stepped forward and pulled Harry in for a hug. Harry hugged her back with a faint blush on his face. His mother tended to treat him like a child and he was kind of embarrassed that Niall was standing next to them and hearing everything. 

 

''Yeah, I'm alright. Look, I brought someone!'' Harry quickly changed the subject.

 

''Oh hello, dear. Who are you?'' Anne shook Niall's hand.

 

‘‘I’m Niall, ma'am. How are you?'' Niall asked politely. 

 

''I'm very good. Thank you, Niall.'' Then she turned to Harry again. ''Is this one of your friends you told me about?''

 

''Yeah,'' Harry said. He wanted to wait until his father and sister were home too before he dropped the bomb. They stepped inside and walked to the living room. ''Where are dad and Gemma?''

 

''Oh, Gemma's upstairs and dad will be home any minute.'' Just as Harry's mother finished speaking, they heard the door slam. Harry's father walked into the room and a smile spread on his face when he saw Harry.

 

''Harry!'' He hugged Harry and then looked at Niall. 

 

''That's Niall, my, err, friend,'' Harry stuttered. Harry's father shook Niall's hand too and sat down on the couch. 

 

''I want to tell you guys something so, ehh, I'll go get Gemma,'' Harry rushed upstairs and left Niall behind with his parents in an awkward silence.

 

Harry came down with Gemma. She had a confused expression on her face. ''Okay, sit down everyone,'' Harry  nervously stood in front of his parents and sister and tugged on Niall's arm so that they stood next to each other.

 

Harry cleared his throat. ''So, uhm, as you can see, I brought someone with me and he's very special to me and he's kind of my boyfriend,'' Harry said in a rush.

 

''Oh.'' Was his dad's only reaction. It was quiet for a long time and tears started to form in Harry's eyes. He shot Niall a desperate look and Niall took Harry's hand and squeezed it.

 

Suddenly, Harry's mother stood up and walked up to them. ''Are you gay?'' she asked Harry.

 

''I don't know,'' Harry muttered as he looked at his feet.

 

Anne tilted Harry's head upwards and hugged him all of a sudden. ''I'm so proud of you, Harry,'' she whispered in his ear. Harry's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting  _that_. He had already given up on his parents accepting him after that long, long silence.

 

''You're okay with it? With us?'' Harry asked carefully.

 

''Oh, sweetie! Of course I am! And your dad and Gemma are too!'' Harry's mother looked offended. ''Did you seriously think we wouldn't accept you having a boyfriend?''

 

''Well, I mean... It took you quite long to react so I thought...'' Harry trailed off.

 

''Don't ever think again that we wouldn’t accept you the way you are, Harry,'' his father stood in front of him too now.

 

Harry smiled widely. ''Thank you.'' He wrapped his arms around both of his parents.

 

His dad pulled away and pulled Niall in for a hug. ''Welcome to the family, son.'' 

 

After that, his mom hugged Niall too, and then his parents went to the kitchen to continue making dinner together. 

 

''I KNEW IT,'' Gemma said as she stabbed Harry in his chest.

 

Harry grinned and threw an arm over Niall's shoulder to pull him in his side. Gemma 'aw'-ed and sat back on the couch. ''Okay, now kiss.''

 

Harry flushed bright red. ''What?!''

 

''Kiss!'' Gemma repeated. ''Come on, Harry. Do you know how hot it is to see two guys kissing?''

 

''But I'm your brother, Gemma!'' Harry almost yelled while Niall giggled in his shoulder.

 

''So? It's still hot. Now do it!'' 

 

Harry turned his head to face Niall and silently asked for permission with his eyes. Niall responded by leaning in. He captured Harry's lips with his own and started to enthusiastically kiss Harry. Harry didn't hesitate to kiss back and got lost in the feeling of Niall's lips against his own. Suddenly, they heard Gemma wolf whistle and they were pulled back to reality again. They both blushed but didn't let go of each other.

 

''Aw, you guys are so cute,'' Gemma wiped away fake tears. ''My baby brother is growing up.''

 

''Gemma,'' Harry groaned and hid his burning face in Niall's neck.

 

Gemma giggled and walked back to her room. 

 

\----

 

''Harry, we don't really have a spare bed so where is Niall supposed to sleep?'' Anne asked after they had eaten. They were all in the living room and chatting with each other. Niall was almost asleep on Harry's shoulder and it was getting a bit late.

 

''Err, in my bed...?'' Harry said unsure.

 

Anne hesitated. Harry knew this was going to happen. Of course his mother wouldn't approve of that. 

 

''Please?'' Harry added.

 

''Please?'' Niall said, pouting.

 

''Alright, but no funny business boys,'' Harry's mother shot them a threatening look. ''I mean it.''

 

''Mom!'' Harry groaned in embarrassment.

 

Niall laughed and pulled Harry up on his feet. ''C'mon let's go to bed.''

 

They walked upstairs with their hands entwined. They brushed their teeth and stripped down to their boxers. Harry had a single bed but they were used to the little space. Harry decided he should be big spoon for once so he turned Niall around and wrapped an arm around Niall's waist.

 

''I told you it wasn't going to be that bad,'' Niall said when they were both laying comfortable.

 

''Yeah, you were right,'' Harry kissed Niall's cheek and then kissed all the way to his shoulder before laying his head down with his forehead against the back of Niall's neck.

 

''I'm always right,'' Niall smirked.

 

Harry snorted. ''Idiot,'' Harry muttered with a smile on his face.

 

He pressed one last kiss on Niall's back and then shuffled closer to Niall and closed his eyes. He heard Niall mutter a 'goodnight' before he grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him closer like Harry always does when he's little spoon. 

 

''Night.''


	21. Chapter 21

Harry's eyes fluttered open and the first thing he saw was fluffy blond hair. Niall was snoring softly and Harry had to stop himself from giggling because it was just  _too_  cute. Harry still had his arms wrapped around Niall's waist from behind and Niall was still gripping onto Harry's hand.   
  
  
  
Harry checked the time on his phone that lay on his nightstand. It was only 6 AM but he was wide awake. He contemplated whether to wake Niall up or let him sleep some more. He settled for letting him sleep some more so Harry stepped out of bed and pulled on some sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt.  
  
  
  
He kissed Niall's cheek softly and walked out of his room. He walked down the stairs and into the garden. It was so quiet outside, but Harry didn't mind. He liked the quietness sometimes. It helped him clear his head.  
  
  
  
He sat down on the old swing set in his garden and pushed himself backwards. He pulled his legs off the ground and enjoyed the wind blowing softly in his face as he swung forwards. It was cold outside since it was only 6 in the morning. But Harry didn't mind the cold either. It gave him some sort of comfort.   
  
  
  
Harry closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip into his own thoughts. He thought about university and Liam, Louis and Eleanor and how lucky he was to finally have friends but mostly, he thought about Niall. He felt so blessed with such an amazing boyfriend. He never would've thought someone could actually fall in love with him. He had always been just the loser and the nerd. But now everything had changed and Harry liked it so much better.  
  
  
  
''Hi,'' Harry snapped his eyes open, only to find his boyfriend there in an oversized t-shirt and his boxers.  
  
  
  
''Hey.''  
  
  
  
''What're you doing here?'' Niall suppressed a yawn.  
  
  
  
''I was just thinking,'' Harry stopped swinging and patted his legs, motioning for Niall to sit on his lap.  
  
  
  
Niall had other plans though. He climbed in top of Harry and sat backwards on the swing so that his knees were on either side of Harry's waist and with his bum on Harry's thighs, facing him. Niall wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and tightened his legs around Harry's waist to pull him in for a hug. Harry buried his face in Niall's neck and breathed in Niall's scent.  
  
  
  
''What were you thinking about,'' Niall asked softly, trying not to destroy the peaceful silence.  
  
  
  
''About high school...'' Harry hugged Niall's waist. ''And you.''  
  
  
  
Harry snuggled his now burning face further in Niall's neck while Niall softly giggled.   
  
  
  
''Why were you thinking about high school?'' Niall asked as he pulled back slightly to look Harry in his eyes.  
  
  
  
''I just thought about how terrible my life actually was back then, compared to how it is now. Because I used to be always alone and a bit of a loser and nobody really liked me. I didn't have friends and I got bullied a lot. But now...'' Harry smiled but his eyes were still sad. ''Now you are here and Eleanor and Louis and Liam and I just feel so much happier,'' Harry's eyes filled with tears. He tried to fight them from falling because he felt like an idiot, crying over absolutely nothing. He let out a frustrated sigh when his tears still fell.  
  
  
  
''Don't be so hard on yourself. It's okay to cry once in a while,'' Niall said as he wiped Harry's wet cheeks.   
  
  
  
''But I feel so stupid,'' Harry laid his head on Niall's chest since Niall was now a bit taller because he was sitting on Harry's lap. ''I don't even know why I'm crying.''  
  
  
  
''I think you're just not over it yet, Harry. It takes time. They hurt you and I wish I could fix it but I can't,'' Niall lifted Harry's head and cupped his cheeks. ''You'll be alright. It'll be alright, okay?''  
  
  
  
''How do you know?'' Harry asked as he kept his gaze down.   
  
  
  
''Because everything will be alright in the end. It will always be okay. Just believe me. I'm here to help you, yeah?'' Harry's eyes finally met Niall's and Harry saw the sincerely in Niall's eyes.  
  
  
  
''I believe you. Just... Don't leave, okay?''   
  
  
  
Niall softly pecked Harry's lips. ''I won't, as long as you don't leave me.''  
  
  
  
That made Harry smile again. ''I would never.''  
  
  
  
Harry let out a long sigh and Niall wiped away the last tears. Harry wrapped his arms tightly around his boyfriend's waist and hugged him close to his body, while he pressed his cold nose in Niall's neck. Niall hugged him back with his arms around Harry's neck and they sat like that for a while. Their eyes were closed and they desperately tried to stay warm so they kept each other close.  
  
  
  
''Is everything okay? Why are you sitting outside! Come here, it's too cold!'' Harry heard his dad yell.  
  
  
  
Harry raised his head to look over Niall's shoulder. He saw his dad in the doorway. He was already dressed and it looked like he just had a shower because his hair was still a bit damp.  
  
  
  
Niall climbed off of Harry's lap and helped Harry stand up too. They both shivered and quickly walked inside. Harry's dad had already made a warm cup of tea for them.  
  
  
  
''Thanks, dad,'' Harry said sleepily. He felt worn out from all the crying and the fact that he was up at six in the morning.   
  
  
  
''Is everything alright, Harry? It looks like you have been crying,'' his dad examined Harry's face.  
  
  
  
''No, I'm okay now. Niall made everything okay again,'' Harry said shyly and Niall blushed.  
  
  
  
Harry's dad smiled. ''Good.''  
  
  
  
Harry and Niall went to the living room with their steaming cup of tea and sat on the couch, opposite from each other with their legs entwined in the middle. They sipped their tea and talked a little but when Harry's eyes started to drop, Niall suggested going back to bed. Harry agreed and clung to Niall's hand as he led them both back to Harry's room.  
  
  
  
It was only 8 AM so there was enough time for a nap. Harry slipped under the warm duvet and pulled Niall with him. Niall lay down on his back. Harry lay on his side and tucked his face in Niall's neck. Niall wrapped both arms around Harry's neck and held him close. He felt Harry kiss his neck and a shiver went down his spine.   
  
  
  
''You're amazing, Niall. Thanks for existing,'' Harry muttered.  
  
  
  
Niall grinned. ''Thank  _you_  for existing too, Hazzy.''  
  
  
  
''That's such a lame nickname, Nially,'' Harry laughed.  
  
  
  
''You're telling me that Hazzy is a lame nickname while you're calling me Nially,'' Niall protested.  
  
  
  
Harry giggled and pressed his body closer to Niall's. ''Nah, Nially is fabulous.''  
  
  
  
''Whatever,'' Niall huffed. ''I'm your boyfriend so I get to call you whatever I want.''  
  
  
  
''Of course, Nially-poopoo,'' Harry teased.  
  
  
  
''Stop that!'' Niall shoved Harry away playfully.  
  
  
  
Harry yelped and threw himself at Niall, seeking for the warmth of his boyfriend. He tucked is face in Niall's neck again and pressed his body impossibly close. Niall responded by throwing his arms around Harry's neck and pecking his cheek.  
  
  
  
''Go to sleep, you idiot,'' Niall said.  
  
  
  
''Sweet dreams, Nially,'' Harry whispered.  
  
  
  
''Sweet dreams, Hazzy.''  
  
  
  
\----

 

It was 12 AM the next time they woke up. Niall felt his stomach grumble so he softly shook Harry to wake him up. Harry opened his eyes lazily and looked up at Niall quizzically. Then he heard the grumble of Niall's stomach and he chuckled. Niall flashed him a grin and they both stepped out of bed. They ate breakfast and walked to the bathroom to take a shower.

 

''Can we shower together?'' Niall asked sweetly.

 

Harry laughed. ''I don't think my mother will appreciate that. She barely lets us alone in our room.''

 

''But... I can't shower without you,'' Niall pouted.

 

''I think you'll be fine,'' Harry pushed Niall in the direction of the bathroom door. 

 

Niall swiftly looked left and right and saw that nobody was there. He grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him in the bathroom too. He was about to close the door when suddenly Harry's mother was standing in front of them.

 

''Boys? What are you doing?'' she asked.

 

''We, eh, are going to take a shower?'' Harry said unsure.

 

''Together?'' Harry's mom raiser her eyebrow.

 

Harry turned his head to look at Niall. ''Ehh, yeah...''

 

''I don't think so,'' Anne shook her head.

 

''But mom,'' Harry whined.

 

Anne shook her head again and stepped aside to let Harry or Niall out of the bathroom. Harry grinned devilishly and quickly slammed the door closed and locked it. 

 

''Harry!'' Anne knocked on the door. 

 

''Mom, I'm an adult. You can't stop me,'' Harry turned to Niall and giggled.

 

They waited for Harry's mother to leave and eventually she sighed and walked away. They both turned to each other and high fived. 

 

''I didn't know you're such a badass,'' Niall teased.

 

''I guess you don't know me then,'' Harry smirked before stepping forward to cup Niall's cheeks. He attached his lips to Niall's and kissed him forcefully. When Harry pulled away he saw Niall blinking with his eyes. 

 

''Wow, that was hot,'' Niall stated.

 

Harry just laughed in return and began to undress. They showered together and went outside to walk around in Holmes Chapel. Harry showed Niall around and told stories about his childhood. He only told the good memories though. He never talked about high school. 

 

When it was getting dark outside, Harry and Niall said goodbye to Harry's parents and sister and went back to London. Niall got out of the train one halt earlier since it was closer to his home. Harry went to back his dorm and made some last homework. After that, he went to bed and closed his eyes with a satisfied sigh. His life couldn't get better, he thought. 


	22. Chapter 22

Niall had been anxious the whole day. He didn't know why but he just had this feeling that something would go wrong. And he didn't like it. Even when Harry came to the record shop during lunchtime, he couldn't make the feeling go away. 

 

Harry had noticed Niall's behaviour but was waiting for Niall to tell Harry himself. But after a full 10 minutes of frowning from Niall, Harry decided to ask it anyway.

 

''Niall? What's wrong?'' Harry asked with concern. ''Did I do something wrong?''

 

''No! No, of course you didn't do something wrong!'' Niall sighed and decided to tell him. ''I just have this feeling... I don't know, but it just feels like something is going to happen.''

 

''Something bad?'' Harry frowned.

 

Niall nodded and hugged Harry's waist. ''I don't know but I can't stop feeling it.''

 

''It's probably nothing,'' Harry kissed Niall's cheek. ''Don't think about it too much.''

 

Niall pulled away harshly. ''What do you mean 'it's probably nothing'? How do you know that?'' Niall snapped.

 

Harry flinched at Niall's tone. He stepped further away from Niall and hung his head low. ''I'm sorry,'' he muttered softly, his curls falling in front of his face. 

 

Niall immediately regretted what he had done. He knew Harry was new to this whole dating thing and now Niall was already scaring him. Without hesitating Niall stepped forward and engulfed Harry in a hug. 

 

''I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I know you mean well,'' Niall peppered Harry's face with kisses. 

 

A blush spread on Harry's cheeks. He smiled, relieved that Niall wasn't actually mad at him. ''It's alright,'' he muttered against Niall's lips.

 

\----

 

Later that week, on a Friday night, Niall, Harry, Louis, Eleanor and Liam decided to have dinner at the little restaurant Niall and Harry had gone to on their first date. They were all chatting excitedly. Niall and Louis were in a deep conversation about university and Eleanor was chatting to Liam. Harry was just silently staring at his boyfriend. He kind of felt like a creep but he just couldn't keep his eyes off of Niall. 

 

He moved his hand to grab Niall's under the table and Niall briefly turned his head to look at him. Niall's cheeks were faintly red and it was absolutely adorable. Louis stopped talking after he saw the little encounter between Niall and Harry who were sat in front of him. 

 

Niall raised his eyebrows at Louis. ''What?''

 

''Do you even know how crazy Harry is about you?'' Louis asked, smiling. 

 

Niall turned his head to look at Harry again. He saw Harry talking to Eleanor while still gripping on Niall's hand. Harry just looked so happy and content. Niall couldn't understand how anyone could ever bully such a beautiful person. 

 

''I'm crazy about him too,'' Niall said shyly, turning his attention back to Louis.

 

After that, the food came and Niall and Harry shared knowing looks and sneaky kisses when nobody was looking. They whispered cute things to each other and made each other blush. They weren't even aware of their affection towards one another until Louis decided to make a rude comment about it.

 

''Guys! Save something for the bedroom, please,'' he smirked.

 

Harry froze and blushed furiously. Niall saw Harry's reaction and fell into a fit of giggles. While Niall was trying to stop himself from embarrassing Harry even more, Harry had his face buried in his hands.

 

''I hate you all,'' Harry grumbled.

 

''But you don't hate Niall, do you?'' Eleanor teased.

 

''Aw, stop embarrassing him,'' Niall ruffled Harry's curls and slung an arm over Harry's shoulder, pulling him in his chest.

 

''They're mean,'' Harry muttered childishly.

 

Niall laughed and soon the rest joined except for Harry, who was still hiding his burning face in Niall's neck. After a while, Niall pushed Harry off him and knocked his forehead against Harry's temple. He kissed Harry's cheek and they ate the rest of their food, occasionally feeding each other, even though they had the same dish. 

 

They all paid for their own food and headed back to their home. Liam went with the train back to his parents’ house since he was visiting them for the weekend and the rest of them walked back to the university. The four of them, Eleanor, Louis, Niall and Harry, were standing in front of the gates of the university. Eleanor and Louis were quietly whispering together and Niall and Harry were saying goodbye to each other. 

 

''I'll see you Monday, yeah?'' Harry held both Niall's hands and let them sway between their bodies.

 

''But that means I won't get to see you for the whole weekend,'' Niall pouted.

 

''But my classes end at eleven on Monday so I'll visit you all day,'' Harry tried to cheer Niall up.

 

Niall sighed. ''Okay then, I'll text you,'' Niall leaned closer to kiss his boyfriend. Harry wrapped his arms around Niall's neck and sighed against Niall's soft lips. They kissed for a while until someone tugged on Harry's arm.

 

''C'mon, it's getting colder,'' Eleanor whined as she wrapped her arms around her own body. Louis took that as a sign to wrap her up in a hug. 

 

''I have to go,'' Harry whispered.

 

Niall wrapped his arms tightly around Harry's waist and Harry returned the hug by tightening his arms around Niall's neck. They closed their eyes to relish this moment. Harry rubbed his cheek against Niall's lovingly and pulled away.

 

''Damn, you guys are so dramatic. It's only for a weekend, you know,'' Louis laughed.

 

Harry gave Niall one last peck and followed his friends. He waved until he couldn't see Niall anymore and headed to his dorm after saying goodnight to Eleanor and Louis.

 

Niall walked to the metro and stepped inside his house after a short walk. He was greeted by an empty house. His parents were probably already sleeping and Greg went out with friends. He wasn't so tired yet so he sat on the couch and turned on the TV. 

 

He had watched a few boring TV shows when the doorbell rang. Niall frowned, who would visit him at this time? It was almost 11.30 PM! He stood up nonetheless and opened the door. 

 

Niall stood frozen in his place for a few seconds. There, right in front of him, was last person he wanted to see. 

 

''Z-Zayn?''


	23. Chapter 23

''Z-Zayn?'' 

 

''Hey, Niall,'' Zayn said innocently, like nothing had ever happened between them.

 

''What are you doing here?'' Niall stepped back and closed the door a bit so that if Zayn tried to do anything, he would be able to slam the door in his face. 

 

''I just miss you so much, Niall. I want you back,'' Zayn said softly, looking at his feet.

 

Niall watched him cautiously. Zayn looked genuinely sorry. He had this guilty look on his face and it almost,  _almost_  made Niall step forward to engulf him in a hug. He just looked so  _broken_. 

 

But Niall stayed where he was. Safely behind the half closed door. He didn't say anything for a while, waiting for Zayn to explain himself more. When Zayn didn't make a move, Niall spoke up. 

 

''That's not going to make me forgive you. You can't just follow me around and ask me for forgiveness after all you've done,'' Niall snapped. 

 

''I'm really sorry, Ni,'' Zayn said sadly, using the nickname he gave Niall on their first date.

 

''Don't call me that. I don't want to see you ever again,'' Niall yelled and slammed the door closed.

 

He ran to the couch and quickly grabbed his phone. He hastily searched for Harry's number and put the phone to his ear. He waited and after a few beeps, Harry's sleepy voice rang through the phone.

 

''Niall? What's wrong?'' Harry yawned. He had been woken up by Niall's phone call. It made him worried that maybe something had happened.

 

''Zayn's here,'' Niall said, almost in tears.

 

''WHAT?''

 

''H-He's here, Harry, and I'm so scared,'' Niall said shakily.

 

''I'm coming over. Stay where you are, okay?'' Harry didn't wait for a respond. He ended the call and threw his phone somewhere on the ground as he searched for clothes.

 

Harry hurried to put on his sweatpants and pulled on a random shirt. He grabbed his phone and keys and ran to the metro station. He sprinted to Niall's house and arrived panting. Luckily, there was no sign of Zayn. Because if there was, Harry wouldn't think he'd be able to restrain himself. He wasn't a violent type but nobody hurts  _his_  boyfriend. 

 

He rang the bell a few times and soon after Niall was standing in front of him, shaking and crying. Without saying anything, Harry wrapped his boyfriend up in a hug and held him while Niall cried in his t-shirt.

 

''Shh, I'm here now. I won't let him hurt you again. I promise,'' Harry whispered in Niall's hair. He closed the front door with one arm, while still holding Niall with the other. He led Niall to the couch and laid them both down. 

 

Niall's head was resting on Harry's shoulder with his face pressed in Harry's neck. The crying had stopped and turned into soft whimpers. Harry gently rocked from left to right as an attempt to calm Niall.

 

''Do you want to tell me what happened?'' Harry carefully asked.

 

''Y-Yeah,'' Niall snuggled closer to Harry. ''I was just watching TV and suddenly the doorbell rang. So I opened the door and there he was. He was just standing there and staring at me. So I asked him why he was here and he said he missed me and wanted me back. He said he was sorry and...'' Niall trailed off to stop the newly formed tears from falling. 

 

''What did you do?'' Harry rubbed Niall's back softly.

 

''I said that he couldn't just ask me to forgive him after what he did to me. And then I slammed the door closed and called you,'' Niall ended with a sniffle.

 

''I'll stay here, yeah?'' Harry squeezed Niall closer.

 

''But you said you had this big test you had to study for tomorrow. You can't stay here,'' Niall protested.

 

''I'll do that Sunday. You're way more important than school. Tomorrow we'll just have lazy day and watch movies and cuddle, okay?'' Harry insisted. He wasn't going to leave now. Oh no, not when a crazy ex-boyfriend was chasing Niall. 

 

''You don't even have a choice. I will stay whether you like it or not,'' Harry said when he saw Niall doubt. 

 

Niall smiled. ''Okay, but don't blame me for your bad grades.''

 

''I would never,'' Harry brushed some hair out of Niall's face and smiled at him lovingly. ''Are you tired?''

 

Niall snuggled his face in Harry's neck again. ''Yes.''

 

''C'mon then, let's go to bed,'' Harry tried to stand up but it was impossible with Niall lying on top of him.

 

''Nooo,'' Niall whined.

 

Harry chuckled. ''Do I have to carry you?'' he joked.

 

''Yes,'' Niall said in all seriousness.

 

Harry groaned and laughed. ''I don't know if I can do that.''

 

When Niall didn't answer, Harry decided to give it a go. He sat up and wrapped his arms around Niall's legs. He attached his arms to each other under Niall's bum and slowly stood up. Niall tightly wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and tightened his legs around Harry's waist.

 

Harry started walking and Niall was surprisingly light. He easily carried Niall to his room and threw him on the bed. Harry was a little out of breath but it was all worth it when Niall looked up at him with the biggest smile in the world.

 

''Now go to sleep, little Nially,'' Harry cooed at his adorable boyfriend.

 

Niall pulled off his clothes with his eyes shut. He blindly opened the duvet and crawled under it.

 

''You coming?'' Niall said sleepily, snuggling in the covers.

 

Harry quickly got rid of his clothes, eager to cuddle his boyfriend. He snaked under the blanket too and quickly wrapped his arms around Niall's waist and tucked his face in Niall's neck.

 

Niall smiled and wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders, playing with Harry's curls absently.

 

''You know, we haven't even kissed once since you got here,'' Niall blushed.

 

''Well, what you need is right here,'' Harry giggled.

 

Niall tugged softly on Harry's curls to raise his head. As soon as Harry was on eye level, he launched himself forward and attacked Harry's lips hungrily. Harry let out an 'umpf' when Niall's lips slammed to his with force. Harry didn't complain, though. He loved this side of Niall. And although he wasn't ready to go further than just kissing, he loved it when Niall's was dominant.

 

Niall cupped Harry's cheeks to bring them even closer and softly brushed Harry's flushed cheeks with his thumbs. Their lips moved together quick at first but they slowed down a bit and ended up kissing lazily. Harry entwined their legs and pulled Niall closer by his waist. 

 

Niall pulled away first and pecked Harry's lips a few times before pulling him in a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around Harry's neck as a way of thanking him. 

 

''Thank you for being here,'' Niall whispered softly.

 

''I'd do anything for you, Niall,'' Harry stroked Niall's back with one hand while still gripping on Niall's waist with the other. 

 

Niall breathed a giggle. ''G'night.''

 

''Night,'' Harry kissed Niall's ear.

 

Niall fell asleep soon after that. He was laying on top of Harry with his arms wrapped around his boyfriend's neck. Harry had his arms around Niall's waist and softly nuzzled his nose in Niall's bare shoulder until he couldn't stay awake anymore. He gave in and slowly drifted off to sleep. 


	24. Chapter 24

Harry woke up and almost jumped when he saw that he wasn't in his own bed but in a foreign bed with Niall next to him, or more like on top of him. Then, he remembered what had happened yesterday and he relaxed again. Niall was still sleeping but Harry soon got bored so he started to kiss every inch of Niall's face.

 

He kissed Niall's forehead, cheeks, nose, eyelids, eyebrows, chin and last but not least, his lips. He pecked Niall's lips until Niall responded. Niall's eyes stayed closed but Harry felt him smile against his own lips. Niall wrapped his arms tightly around Harry's neck and kissed him fiercely. Suddenly, they heard a gasp and they both jerked away from each other, Niall whacking Harry in the face in the process. 

 

''Niall? What is Harry doing in your bed?'' his mother was standing in the door opening with a not so happy look on her face. But okay, she was right; they were in Niall's bed kissing and only in their boxers. It was quite suspicious. 

 

Harry instantly flushed red and hid behind Niall. ''Err, well, I'll tell you later, yeah? It's a long story,'' Niall said while looking at his lap as his face flushed red. 

 

''You better,'' Maura said warningly. ''I want you both dressed in the living room in 20 minutes.''

 

''Yeah,'' Niall answered slightly embarrassed.

 

When his mother was out of earshot, he turned to Harry who was already in a fit of giggles. 

 

''Hey, this is serious business, okay,'' Niall tried to sound stern.

 

''But you just looked so flustered and it was so adorable,'' Harry said while catching his breath.

 

''You were the one who was blushing!'' Niall protested while climbing on top of Harry and pinning his hands above his head. ''Stop laughing,'' Niall growled with his face dangerously close to Harry's.

 

Harry immediately shut up and his heartbeat sped up. Niall moved his legs so that he was straddling Harry and leaned closer until their noses were touching. Harry groaned when Niall didn't make a move to come closer. So Harry leaned up and connected their lips. Niall couldn’t get enough of the feeling of Harry’s lips against his. He moved his lips softly against Harry’s and enjoyed every second of the amazing kiss. When Niall pulled away he noticed a faint red bruise on Harry’s cheekbone.

 

''Hey, what’s that?'' he asked, softly tracing the red spot with his fingers.

 

''Oh, yeah, you kind of, ehh, slapped me,'' Harry said awkwardly, turning his gaze away from Niall.

 

''What? When did I do that?'' Niall said horrifically.

 

''When your mother was in the door opening and she scared us,'' Harry said. ''But it’s okay. It barely hurts.''

 

''It barely hurts?! Harry, I  _punched_  you! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it okay. I’m sorry. I’d never hurt you on purpose,'' Niall cried as he threw his arms around his boyfriend.

 

''Hey, I know. It was just an accident. Don’t worry,'' Harry reassured him as he hugged Niall back.

 

Niall kept muttering all kind of apologies while Harry rocked them from left to right. ''I know, Niall. I know you didn’t do it on purpose. It’s okay,'' Harry said while Niall raised his head. Harry leaned in closer and nudged his nose with Niall’s.

 

''It’s okay,'' he said again before leaning in to capture Niall’s lips with his own. The kiss was slow and gentle, not rushed or heated. Just when Harry was about to deepen the kiss, Niall's mother appeared in the doorway again.

 

''Boys,'' she raised her eyebrows. ''I thought I was clear. Why aren't you guys dressed and downstairs yet?''

 

''Sorry mum, we got...ehh... distracted,'' Niall blushed and sent Harry a glare since he was giggling again.

 

Niall's mother sighed and shook her head but smiled. ''C'mon, get dressed. Breakfast is ready.''

 

Niall and Harry quickly got dressed in some sweatpants and t-shirts. They decided a shower could wait and walked downstairs hand in hand.

 

When they arrived downstairs, Niall's parents and Greg were already waiting for them. They sat next to each other at the table and waited for someone to say something.

 

Eventually Niall's mother spoke up. ''Harry, sweetie, why are you here?'' she asked.

 

''Erm, well, you see, Niall asked me to come over last night and... I did,'' Harry said looking at Niall. Then he leaned in to whisper something in Niall's ear. 

 

''You have to tell them,'' he whispered and kissed Niall on his cheek encouragingly. 

 

Niall cleared his throat and opened his mouth to tell the whole story. Harry reached over to grab Niall's hand under the table. He knew this was hard for Niall to talk about so the best thing he could do was support him.

 

''Okay, so yesterday I was watching some TV and it was getting kinda late. But I wasn't tired yet so I stayed up. Then the doorbell rang and I know I shouldn't open the door when it's almost midnight, but I still opened it. And Zayn stood there,'' Niall watched as his parents both frowned.

 

''So he said he missed me and he wanted me back and that he was sorry. And I said that that wouldn't make me forgive him. Then I closed the door again and called Harry and asked him to come over,'' Niall finished with a deep breath to calm himself. He promised himself he would  _not_  cry again. 

 

''Baby, why didn't you wake us up?'' his mother asked concerned.

 

''Because Harry was the only one who could help me at that moment,'' Niall admitted and Harry blushed. Harry felt quite special that only  _he_  could comfort Niall.

 

''I'm glad you told us,'' his father smiled. ''Don't worry about him too much, okay. He can't chase you for the rest of your life.''

 

Niall smiled. ''Yeah, I know. And Harry will protect me,'' he grinned.

 

''I will,'' Harry confirmed and kissed Niall's cheek.

 

''I'll kill him if he comes closer again, Niall. I won't let him hurt you again,'' Greg said angrily.

 

''I'll be okay, Greg. Don't worry,'' Niall tried to reassure him.

 

Greg didn't look convinced but he dropped it. They ate breakfast and after that Niall and Harry disappeared to Niall's room again. 

 

''So what are we gonna do today?'' Niall asked as they sat down on Niall's bed still in their pyjamas.

 

''Wanna cuddle?'' Harry smiled sweetly.

 

''Hell yeah,'' Niall answered and quickly discarded his clothes and climbed under his duvet. He opened his arms and Harry fell into them. They shuffled around a bit to get into a comfortable position. Harry's face was now tucked in Niall's throat and Niall was softly playing with Harry's hair. 

 

They stayed like that for the whole day. They cuddled, kissed occasionally and watched a few movies. They showered together, secretly because Niall knew his parents wouldn't approve of it but that made it even more exciting.

 

Harry left after dinner but not before Niall had showered him in kisses and hugs, saying 'thank you' over and over again. Harry kissed him back happily and after one last hug, he left the house and walked back to his dorm.

 

\----

 

On Monday, Niall went back to work like normally. He sent Harry a good luck text since Harry had a big test today and hurried to work. He arrived and Liam had already arrived, sitting on his usual spot behind the counter. Niall greeted him and put his bag away. 

 

''How was your weekend?'' Liam asked smiling.

 

''Good,'' Niall simply answered. He didn't want to go into detail about the whole Zayn thing. ''Harry came over.''

 

''You saw him Friday!'' Liam laughed.

 

''Yeah, but I missed him...'' Niall blushed.

 

''You guys are too cute,'' Liam shook his head.

 

''I know,'' Niall answered because they actually  _were_  really cute together. 

 

''Did you guys do something special?'' Liam continued the conversation.

 

''Oh, you know, we did... stuff,'' Niall replied vaguely.

 

''Ahh, 'stuff','' Liam smirked.

 

''Not that kind of stuff, you perv,'' Niall felt his cheeks heat up.

 

''Of course not,'' Liam said, sarcastically.

 

The day was pretty boring and there weren't very much costumers. Harry texted that he would come later because he had to make homework so Niall was very _very_  bored. After another hour of boredom the doorbell rang, signalling another costumer. Liam was busy in the storage room so Niall turned around to help the costumer. 

 

When Niall turned around, though, he saw someone he didn't expect. Zayn.

 

''Zayn, please stop following me,'' Niall swiftly moved behind the counter to protect himself.

 

''Niall, I'm only asking for forgiveness, please,'' Zayn said with pleading eyes. ''Let me make it up to you.''

 

''No, I don't want you to come near me,'' Niall said trying to sound confident.

 

''Please, Niall. Let me apologise and then I'll never bother you again, okay? I promise,'' Zayn said honestly. 

 

Niall thought about it for a while. Maybe he should just let Zayn apologise and then Zayn'll finally leave him alone. 

 

''Okay,'' Niall gave in. ''You can apologize but after that, I never want to see you again, okay?''

 

Zayn smirked and Niall immediately started to regret his choice. ''Good, meet me tomorrow around 1 o'clock in Starbucks?''

 

Niall sighed in defeat. ''Okay.''

 

''It's a date, then.'' And before Niall could protest, Zayn was out of sight. 

 

After Zayn had exited the shop, Niall could finally breath properly again. He really regretted agreeing to go on a 'date' with Zayn. How was he going to tell Harry this?


	25. Chapter 25

The next day arrived and Niall felt nervous, really nervous. He hadn't told Harry about Zayn coming to the shop the previous day. He knew that it would probably be better if he  _had_  told Harry. But he just couldn't. He knew it would make Harry over-protective or angry or disappointed or sad. 

 

''Liam? I'm leaving for lunch, okay? I'm going to meet Harry at Starbucks,'' Niall lied easily. He knew Harry was too busy with homework to visit him today so he didn't have to worry about Harry finding out. 

 

''Oh okay! See ya later!'' Liam waved goodbye.

 

Niall quickly shrugged on his jacket and he hurried outside. He was about to see Zayn in a few minutes and it totally did not feel right. He didn't want Zayn, he didn't even know why he was doing this. He only wanted Harry. But he couldn't back out now. He was going to show Zayn that he ruled his own life and that he wasn't afraid anymore, even though he was terrified without Harry by his side.

 

He reached Starbucks after a few minutes and saw that Zayn hadn't arrived yet. He ordered a latte macchiato and sat down at an empty table with his drink. Niall glanced at his watch and saw that he was ten minutes to early. He sighed and waited impatiently for Zayn to arrive. He wanted this to be over as soon as possible. 

 

Zayn entered Starbucks at exactly 1 o'clock. He immediately spotted Niall and walked up to him after he had bought his drink.

 

''Hey Ni,'' he said softly.

 

''Hello Zayn,'' Niall replied coldly. 

 

Zayn noticed Niall's tone but kept smiling. He really wanted the blonde back. After Niall had left he felt miserable and so guilty, he just couldn't live with it. So he asked around in town and checked Niall's Facebook page to find out where he was living and where he worked. It took a while but it was all worth it. He knew Niall had something going on with a boy with curly hair. He wanted Niall to be happy but he was selfish too, he wanted Niall to be happy  _with him_. Not with that other boy, whose name he didn't know.

 

''I brought you something,'' Zayn said, still smiling lovingly.

 

Niall raised his eyebrows and his eyes widened when Zayn pulled out a single red rose. Niall blushed and ducked his head. This was the Zayn he fell in love with. The caring, sweet Zayn.

 

''Thank you,'' Niall said quietly, accepting the rose. 

 

''No problem,'' Zayn smiled warmly. 

 

''Ehm, so...'' Niall said, signalling for Zayn to say something. After all, Zayn set up this whole date thing to apologise.

 

''Oh, right,'' Zayn cleared his throat and reached over the table to grab Niall's hand. He was surprised when Niall didn't pull away. ''So I realised that what I've done to you is unacceptable and I don't understand how I was ever able to do that to you. When you left I realised that I love you and that I just can't let you go because you're too important to me and I just need forgiveness.''

 

Niall frowned. He didn't expect Zayn to be so... honest. He kind of felt bad for him. Niall looked at Zayn's hand on top of his and contemplated whether Zayn was lying or telling his true feelings. He looked up and saw the broken look in Zayn's eyes.

 

''I-I can't just forgive you, Zayn. What you did to me was... horrible and I can't trust you anymore,'' Niall answered, playing with his empty cup of coffee.

 

''I know, but we can work on that, yeah?'' Zayn said hopefully as he squeezed Niall's hand.

 

Niall slowly nodded. ''I guess...'' 

 

Zayn stood up and sat on the seat next to Niall. ''Listen. I know I did something wrong but I want to make it up to you. I want to show you that you are the most amazing person I know. I just want you back, Ni.''

 

Niall only nodded and before he knew it Zayn was leaning in. 

 

\----

 

''Liam? Where's Niall?'' Harry walked into the shop but his smile fell when he didn't saw Niall around.

 

''Oh... He said he would meet you at Starbucks,'' Liam said confused.

 

''Hm... That's weird. He never said something about meeting at Starbucks,'' Harry said frowning.

 

''I don't know, man,'' Liam shrugged.

 

''I'll go to Starbucks, then. Maybe he's still there. Thanks!'' Harry waved and walked out of the shop.

 

He thought about the previous days when he had seen Niall. He was sure Niall hadn't mentioned anything about going to Starbucks. Maybe he missed a text or something, Harry thought as he pulled out his phone. He checked his texts from Niall but he found nothing. He shrugged and walked a bit faster. 

 

When the familiar shop came in sight, he also saw a certain blonde haired boy talking to another boy. He had black raven hair but Harry didn't recognise him. Harry walked closer to the shop and watched Niall and the mystery boy talk. Harry froze when the other boy pulled out a red rose. 

 

Harry saw Niall blush and duck his head. It made something stir in Harry's stomach. He was jealous, angry and disappointed, but mostly hurt. And when the boy reached over to grab Niall’s hand, tears were forming in his eyes. He couldn't believe Niall would do something like this to him. When he saw the unknown boy move next to Niall and lean in, he ran away. Back to his dorm, away from everybody.

 

But if he had stayed only a few seconds longer, he would've seen that Niall shove the other boy roughly away. He would've seen Niall punch the boy in the face. He would've known that Niall did that all for him because Harry was way more important to Niall than Zayn could ever be and Niall couldn't believe he'd let Zayn almost kiss him without permission. His lips were only for Harry and Zayn knew that. But Harry didn't see that, he was already long gone. 


	26. Chapter 26

Harry planned on staying in bed the day after. He ignored Niall's calls and concerned texts. It was Wednesday, which meant classes and homework and  _school_  but he just didn't care. He felt so heartbroken that Niall cheated on him. Well, it wasn't really cheating... But they had probably kissed and the other boy gave Niall a rose and... Oh, Harry didn't even know what to think about it. Maybe he was overreacting. 

 

Harry sighed and squeezed his eyes closed. He wished the thoughts could just stop. He was getting tired of the constant ache in his chest. And moping around wasn't helping. So, Harry dragged his body out of his warm bed and hopped in the shower. He took a long hot shower, since he had already given up on going to class, and put on some comfortable clothes. 

 

His stomach grumbled so Harry threw a quick glance in the mirror and was glad to see that his puffy, red eyes had faded, before heading out to grab some breakfast, or rather lunch since in it was already past 12.

 

Naturally, he went to the closest Starbucks to grab a sandwich and some good coffee. He sat down and stared ahead of him with dull eyes. He finished his sandwich slowly and he was about to swallow the last bite when someone tapped him on his shoulder.

 

'''Harry?'' Harry heard the oh so familiar voice say. Harry’s head swiftly turned around.

 

''Niall,'' Harry replied coldly.

 

''Why are you not answering my texts or calls? I was worried,'' Niall said and went to sit next to Harry. 

 

Harry didn't answer and looked at his lap. Niall sat next to him silently and reached over to grab Harry's hand. Before he could touch Harry's hands, Harry sprang up and walked away, tears welling up in his eyes. How could Niall act like everything was alright?

 

Niall sat there as he watched Harry walk away. He thought about his date with Zayn the previous day and prayed that Harry hadn't seen them. But that would answer Harry's behaviour. Niall suddenly felt his chest tighten. He knew why Harry was being so cold towards him. Harry had seen him with Zayn and jumped into conclusions. Niall could punch himself for being so stupid. Of course Harry had seen them. He couldn't stand the thought of losing Harry but he didn't know how to explain what had happened the other day either. He felt so stupid. He knew Harry was vulnerable and then he does something like that. He felt like a shitty boyfriend. 

 

Niall jumped up from his seat and practically ran back to the record shop. He needed a good talk with Liam. Maybe he knew what to do.

 

''Liam, I need you,'' Niall panted as he arrived in the empty shop.

 

''Oh, ehh, alright,'' Liam turned his attention to Niall. ''Spill.''

 

''I fucked up,'' Niall stated.

 

''What?'' Liam frowned.

 

''Ugh, Liam, I fucked up with Harry,'' Niall yelled desperately.

 

''What?! How? What did you do?'' Liam asked confused.

 

''Okay, so long story short, I went on a date with another guy and I think he saw us together,'' Niall confessed.

 

Liam's eyes widened. ''Niall, you idiot! Why would you do that?'' 

 

''I-It's a long story, okay! You'd understand if you knew!'' Niall defended himself.

 

''Well does Harry know about that 'story'?''

 

''Yes, he does,'' Niall answered slowly.

 

''Then why is he not understanding it?'' Liam asked smartly.

 

''Damn it, Liam! I don't know!'' Niall threw his hands in the air.

 

''Niall, first of all, you're a dick. How could you do that to him? Secondly, go fix it!'' Liam practically yelled in Niall's face. 

 

''But I can't, I have to work now,'' Niall said disappointed.

 

''I can handle it. It's been really uneventful today. Just go,'' Liam urged. 

 

Niall took a deep breath. ''Okay.''

 

He walked out of the shop with confidence. He was determined to fix this.

 

\----

 

Harry ran back to his dorm after meeting Niall at Starbucks. He didn't care that people gave him strange looks as he ran past them. His vision was blurred with tears. Suddenly, he bumped into something hard. He was already apologising when he saw it was Louis.

 

''Mate, what's wrong? Why weren't you in class?'' Louis helped Harry up.

 

Harry didn't answer but wrapped his arms around Louis and sobbed in his neck. Louis stumbled backwards in surprise but managed to catch them in time. He rubbed Harry's back softly and led them to Harry's dorm.

 

When they were inside Louis unwrapped Harry's arms and sat him down on his bed. He sat down next to him and threw an arm around a still sniffling Harry.

 

''Okay, tell me,'' Louis said.

 

''N-Niall-, h-he, I-I think we're done,'' Harry hiccupped.

 

''No, no, Harry. I don't think that's what Niall wants, or what you want,'' Louis drew his hand through Harry's curls to sooth him. ''Tell me what happened.''

 

''I-I saw him with another boy,'' Harry sighed shakily.

 

''What? What did they do?'' Louis said shocked.

 

''The boy gave Niall a rose and they leaned in to kiss but I ran away because I couldn't watch anymore,'' Harry said as a fresh tears travelled down his cheeks.

 

''Are you sure that was Niall?'' Louis said unsure.

 

''Yes, 100% sure,'' Harry said sadly.

 

''Do you know the other boy?'' 

 

''No,'' Harry sighed and wiped his tears away.

 

Louis sighed. ''It'll be alright, Harry,'' he said as he pulled Harry closer to hug him. Harry instantly thought about when Niall had said that to him, when they had been at Harry's place. The memory made new tears develop in his eyes and he didn't stop them from falling.

 

Louis let Harry cry and after a few minutes Harry asked Louis to leave him alone. He was desperate for some alone time to think. Louis said to him that he could call him any time and Harry nodded. 

 

Louis stepped out of Harry dorm, feeling so sad for his friend. It was absolutely heart breaking to see him like this. He was about to walk away when he saw a familiar face coming his way.

 

''Niall? What are you doing here?'' Louis asked harshly.

 

''I need to speak to Harry,'' Niall said, pushing past Louis.

 

''I don't think so,'' Louis grabbed Niall's arm.

 

''Louis, let me go,'' Niall demanded.

 

''Not if you're going to hurt him more,'' Louis said angrily.

 

''I'm trying to fix this, okay? Let me go,'' Niall pulled his arm free form Louis grasp and walked in the direction of Harry's dorm.

 

Louis ran after him. ''Listen, he's heartbroken right now. Only you can fix this. Do it right.'' With that, Louis turned around and walked away, praying Niall would do the right thing.

 

Niall stood in front of Harry's dorm and wiped his sweaty hands off on his jeans. He knocked on the door and waited anxiously. After a few long seconds, Harry appeared in the doorway, looking broken. Niall instantly felt incredibly guilty for doing this do Harry. Harry's eyes were red and his cheeks looked sore from crying. 

 

''Harry, I want to talk to you,'' Niall said when Harry was about to swing the door closed again.

 

''I have nothing to say to you,'' Harry's voice cracked.

 

''Please, Harry. I want to explain,'' Niall pleaded.

 

Harry sighed. ''Okay,'' he said quietly. He opened the door further to let Niall in.

 

''Okay, I know you saw me yesterday. You probably don't know who that was but it was Zayn,'' Niall bit his lip.

 

''What?'' Harry could almost  _feel_  his heart break. 

 

''Let me explain,'' Niall stepped closer to Harry.

 

''Go away,'' Harry's bottom lip quivered.

 

''Har-''

 

''Go,'' Harry cut Niall off and opened the door. He couldn't handle this right now. He wanted to be alone and cry.

 

Niall stood there helplessly but obeyed Harry's orders when he saw the look on Harry's face. Harry had his head down, looking at the floor. Niall took the opportunity and kissed him swiftly on his cheek. Then, he hurried outside and ran back to the record store to ask Liam for help.

 

''Liam, I fucked up again,'' Niall said almost in tears when he arrived.

 

''Calm down, okay? What happened,'' Liam hugged his friend, trying to calm him.

 

''I tried to explain but he didn't let me finish,'' Niall sniffled. ''What do I do, Liam?! I don't want to lose him!''

 

'''Then do something about it,'' Liam said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

Niall instantly shut up. That wasn't a bad idea. He was willing to do anything to win Harry back. He  _needed_  Harry in his life. A small smiled tugged on his lips as he thought about what he was planning on doing for Harry. 


	27. Chapter 27

''Harry, please, just come with me. The fresh air will cheer you up!'' Louis tried again.

 

Harry refused to get out of bed. He felt depressed and the only thing he could do was cry and sleep. He didn't want to go outside. It was cold out there and he could bump into Niall and that was the last thing he wanted. After Niall had tried to talk to him the day before, he only felt worse. Thinking about Niall and Zayn together made his head hurt. 

 

''No,'' Harry's muffled voice answered. He had his duvet pulled over his head. Louis had been trying to get him out of bed for a good 15 minutes but it wasn't really working.

 

''Alright, then I'm going to force you out of bed,'' Louis warned and when Harry still didn't move, he walked to Harry's bed and ripped the duvet off of Harry. 

 

''What the fuck,'' Harry mumbled as he blindly tried to find his blanket.

 

Louis had other plans, though. He grabbed one of Harry's arms and pulled on it so that Harry fell out of bed with a hard thump. 

 

''Now get the fuck up and stop being such a pussy,'' Louis angrily said as he towered over Harry.

 

Strangely, Harry wasn't afraid. He knew Louis would never hurt him. Louis wouldn't even hurt a fly. Harry sighed deeply and stood up. 

 

''Where are we going, then?'' he asked sombrely.

 

''Cheer up, mate. Just get dressed in something nice and you'll see,'' Louis said, patting Harry on his shoulder.

 

''I don't know what to wear,'' Harry moped.

 

''Ugh, Harry, you're being annoying,'' Louis said as he walked to the closet.

 

''I can't help it,'' Harry muttered. He couldn't possibly be happy or positive right now. 

 

''Here,'' Louis threw him some jeans and a plain white t-shirt. 

 

''Err, can you, uh, maybe wait outside...?'' Harry asked awkwardly. Only Niall was allowed to see him naked. 

 

''Yeah, sure,'' Louis smiled and left Harry's dorm.

 

Harry dressed himself and brushed his teeth. It was around 6 PM and he was getting hungry. Maybe he could convince Louis to grab something to eat on their way to wherever they were going to. He sprayed some water in his face to make himself look somewhat presentable. He pulled on a warm coat and a scarf. It was so cold outside and he hated it. Harry walked outside and met Louis, who was leaning against the wall next to the front door.

 

''Okay, I'm ready to go,'' Harry sighed.

 

''I promise you'll like it,'' Louis smiled reassuring.

 

Harry shrugged. The only thing he'd like right now was Niall. But at the same time he was still angry and sad. He hated feeling like this. Louis pulled him out of his train of thoughts by slinging and arm around his shoulders, talking happily about what Harry had missed in class and informing Harry about the new gossips. 

 

''Eh, Louis... Why are we walking towards the record shop?'' Harry asked slowly when the familiar street came in sight.

 

''There's a present waiting for you there,'' Louis said mysteriously. 

 

''I don't know if I want to go in there,'' Harry said hesitantly. It reminded him of Niall and he couldn't handle that right now.

 

''C'mon, Harry, don't be a chicken,'' Louis urged as he pushed Harry to the entrance. When they stood in front of the store, Louis covered Harry's eyes with his hands. 

 

''Eh, Louis? What are you doing?'' Harry asked.

 

''Trust me,'' Louis guided Harry inside and slowly removed his hands.

 

Harry gasped as he saw what was in front of him. Niall stood next to a picnic blanket surrounded by rose petals and candles, lighting up the store. A picnic basket stood in the centre of the blanket.

 

''Have fun!'' With that, Louis hurried out of the store and ran away.

 

Harry ducked his head to look at the ground. He felt Niall's eyes on him but didn't dare to look up. He knew that he would forgive Niall if he looked in those blue eyes. Suddenly, Niall was in front of him. He reached out to grab Harry's hand softly.

 

He hooked his finger under Harry's chin and lifted Harry's head. Harry looked at him with tears brimming in his eyes. He cursed himself for being such an emotional teenage girl.

 

''Hey,'' Niall said softly.

 

''Hi,'' Harry whispered back.

 

''C'mon, I want to tell you exactly what happened the other day, okay,'' Niall said, locking his eyes with Harry's.

 

Harry nodded, not trusting his voice. He followed Niall and sat down opposite from him on the blanket.

 

''Okay, so Monday Zayn came into the shop and he said he wanted to apologize and that if I just went on one date with him, he'd leave me alone for the rest of my life. So I thought; if that's gonna make him go away, then I'll go on a date with him. Of course, that's stupid to think because how could I think that would be okay without telling you?'' Niall said sadly, looking at his lap.

 

Harry reached over to entwine their fingers, urging Niall to go on. ''On Tuesday, I went to Starbucks where he said we'd meet. He gave me a rose and I accepted it. He told me he was sorry and I saw that he was telling the truth because he looked so broken. I felt bad for him. We talked a bit and then he sat next to me and tried to kiss me. That's probably what you saw,'' Niall looked up to see Harry's reaction. 

 

Harry nodded. ''Yeah, I ran away when I saw him leaning in,'' he said, swallowing his tears.

 

''But I pushed him away, Harry. I punched him because my lips are only for you and nobody is more important to me than you. And I'm sorry that I didn't realise that earlier. I should've never gone on that date with him but I can't turn back time. I'm sorry, I made a big mistake but nothing happened between me and Zayn. I don't like him, I like you, Harry,'' Niall looked Harry straight in the eye. He desperately tried to convince Harry that he did  _not_ fancy Zayn.

 

Harry was quiet for a few seconds until he lunged forward and tackled Niall in a hug. He giggled and fell on top of Niall. He nuzzled his face in Niall's neck and kissed the skin there. Niall hugged Harry’s waist and sighed shakily.

 

''I thought you'd break up with me,'' Harry heard Niall whimper.

 

''I never would,'' Harry lifted his head. ''I promised, remember?'' 

 

That made Niall grin and he gripped Harry's waist tighter. Harry let his head fall again and it landed in the crook of Niall's neck. He wounded his arms around Niall's neck and held him tightly against him. Niall kissed his head and grinned so wide, he was afraid his face would split in two.

 

''Let's never fight again, yeah?'' Harry whispered.

 

''Yeah,'' Niall smiled and cupped Harry's head with his hands to bring him on eye level.

 

Niall slowly leaned up a bit and Harry got the hint. He dived down and crashed his lips on Niall's. Niall smiled in the kiss and pulled him closer by wrapping his arms around Harry's neck. Their lips molded perfectly together and Harry sucked lightly on Niall's lower lip, making Niall moan. The sound caught Harry off guard and he pulled away swiftly. 

 

He stared at Niall and then bursted into a fit of giggles as Niall's cheeks burned red. Niall covered his face in the crook of his elbow, trying to make the blush stop. Because, damn, that was so embarrassing.

 

When Harry was done laughing, he pulled Niall's arm away from his face. ''You're so cute,'' he giggled again.

 

''Stop laughing at me,'' Niall pouted.

 

Harry kissed Niall’s pout away with a short peck. That didn't satisfy Niall, though. So he grabbed Harry's head again and gave him a few lingering pecks.

 

''Okay, let's eat. I'm starving,'' Niall said. He nudged Harry and they both sat up.

 

They sat with their shoulders pressed together and their legs crossed. They ate the homemade sandwiches and drank soda. They talked about everything and nothing and it immediately felt like they had never been separated. After they were done with the food, Niall lay down on his side and Harry lay next to him on his side. They faced each other and entwined their fingers. 

 

''How did you even organize all this?'' Harry asked curiously.

 

''I forced Liam to help me. And I begged my boss to let me have the shop for tonight. I have to work an extra shift but I don't mind. Anything for my adorable boyfriend,'' Niall cooed.

 

Harry blushed a bit and shuffled closer to Niall. ''Thank you,'' Harry smiled.

 

''My pleasure,'' Niall pecked Harry's lips once and got up after that. He blew out all the candles and helped Harry up. 

 

''C'mon, It's getting cold. I'll clean this up tomorrow. Let's go home,'' Niall shivered.

 

''Okay,'' Harry took Niall's hand after they both slipped on their warm coats and scarfs. It was October but it was already so cold outside. They walked closely to each other to stay warm. When they arrived at the University, Harry expected Niall to say goodbye. Instead, Niall walked Harry to his dorm and stepped inside too.

 

''I'm sleeping here,'' he stated.

 

''Oh, uh, what if I say no?'' Harry raised his eyebrows.

 

''Then that's sad for you because I will be sleeping here,'' Niall smiled cutely and began to undress himself.

 

''Good,'' Harry unzipped his jeans. ''I wouldn't want you to leave anyway.''

 

They both stripped to their boxers and climbed in Harry's bed. Niall cuddled close to Harry, wrapping his arms around his waist. Harry buried his face in Niall's hair and wound his arms around Niall's neck. He felt amazing and with Niall in his arms, nothing could possibly go wrong. He smiled and kissed the top of Niall's head.

 

''Night,'' Harry whispered.

 

''Sweet dreams, Hazzy.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting the last 2 chapters tomorrow! x


	28. Chapter 28

''Harry, class starts in 10 minutes, you better get out of bed NOW!'' Louis pounded on Harry's door.  
  
  
  
Harry startled awake and quickly sat up, forgetting Niall was lying on top of him. Niall fell on the ground and groaned. Harry ignored it and ran to the door. He yanked it open and saw Louis and Eleanor standing in front of him with cute smiles on their faces.  
  
  
  
''Ah, I see you made up with Niall,'' Eleanor said, signalling to Niall who was still sprawled out on the floor.  
  
  
  
''Nice outfit, Harry. I assume you guys had fun?'' Louis smirked and pointed at Harry who was still in his boxers.  
  
  
  
''Err, I'm just- ehh, we just-, I didn't-,'' Harry stuttered and blushed. ''Just go away, you're ruining my Niall time,'' he grunted with his head down.   
  
  
  
''Oh, is that what you kids call it nowadays,'' Louis teased.  
  
  
  
''Hello, I'm hurt,'' Niall whined, moaning dramatically while still lying on the ground.  
  
  
  
''Aw, Nially, come here,'' Harry walked up to Niall and held out his hands. Niall grabbed them and pulled himself up. When he stood straight, he leaned closer to Harry's face and pecked him softly. After that, he pulled away and Harry ducked his head to quietly giggle in Niall's shoulder.  
  
  
  
''When you're done, I'd like to take Harry from you. He has to go to class,'' Louis rolled his eyes impatiently.  
  
  
  
''Right,'' Harry raised his head and pulled away from Niall to put on some clothes.  
  
  
  
''What time are you finished?'' Niall asked as he sat back on the bed and wrapped the duvet around him.  
  
  
  
''My last class ends at 2,'' Harry zipped up the zipper from his coat. ''Wait for me, yeah?''  
  
  
  
''Sure,'' Niall smiled and stood up. He padded over to his boyfriend and quickly wrapped his arms around Harry's neck before he could leave with Eleanor and Louis. ''Where's my goodbye-kiss?''  
  
  
  
Harry heard Eleanor squeal in excitement and Louis groaned. Harry grinned and attached his lips to Niall's. He wound his arms tightly around Niall's waist and kissed him happily. They murmured a goodbye to each other and Harry was finally ready to leave. They were probably late for class now but he didn't care.   
  
  
  
Niall walked back to Harry's bed and stuffed his face in the pillow, inhaling Harry's scent. He fell asleep soon after.  
  
  
  
\----  
  
  
  
''Honey, I'm homeee,'' Harry opened the door grinning. Niall immediately sat up in bed and greeted Harry by jumping in his arms.  
  
  
  
''Hi,'' he breathed as Harry's face came closer.  
  
  
  
Harry brushed his lips softly against Niall's and giggled when Niall plunged forward to bring him in for a real kiss. They fell back on Harry's bed after Harry had managed to take off his jacket and throw his backpack in a corner, all without breaking the kiss. Niall rolled on top of Harry and straddled him. He playfully pinned Harry's hands above his head and kissed all the way down to Harry's neck.  
  
  
  
He began to suck on the spot where Harry's neck meets his shoulder, gently nipping until a faint red mark was placed on Harry's skin. Then, he sat up and studied Harry's face.  
  
  
  
''Stop looking at me like that,'' Harry covered his face with his hands.  
  
  
  
Niall laughed. ''But I like your face.''  
  
  
  
Harry groaned and blushed bright red. Niall's heart fluttered at the sight of his boyfriend. ''You're cute,'' he stated.  
  
  
  
Harry didn't answer but pulled Niall down by wrapping his arms around Niall's neck. Niall giggled softly and kissed Harry's neck. They stayed like that for a while until Niall sat up and pulled Harry up too. Harry went to sit against the wall and Niall straddled him again, facing him.   
  
  
  
''I want to tell you something,'' Niall began.  
  
  
  
''W-wait, can you maybe, like, move a bit,'' Harry stammered.  
  
  
  
Niall frowned but soon understood what Harry was trying to tell him. He was positioned on top of Harry's manhood. The friction put Harry in an awkward position and he was currently trying to calm himself down but it wasn't really working. His cheeks were colored red and his heart was beating erratically.   
  
  
  
Niall smirked devilish and wiggled his hips in Harry's lap. Harry gasped and grabbed Niall's waist to hold him still. Niall giggled and continued to roll his hips down. He ignored Harry's protests and attacked his lips instead. He kissed Harry fiercely and grinded his hips down at the same time. Harry couldn't hold back little squeaks and groans.   
  
  
  
After about a minute, Harry's body began to shake uncontrollably.   
  
  
  
''N-Niall, if you don't stop now, I'll...'' Harry trailed off.  
  
  
  
Niall didn't answer but grinded his hips down even harder. Harry groaned and buried his face in Niall's neck as his orgasm was ripped from him. He held tightly onto Niall as he came down from his high. He was panting lightly when Niall grabbed his head to push their foreheads together. Niall stared in Harry's eyes and Harry instantly flushed red as he thought about what just had happened.   
  
  
  
This was the first time he experienced something like this and he was so embarrassed. He turned away from Niall's gaze and tucked his face back in Niall's neck.  
  
  
  
''Why are you so embarrassed?'' Niall giggled.  
  
  
  
''Because,'' Harry groaned. ''I've just never done this before and it's so awkward.''  
  
  
  
''Aw, you're adorable,'' Niall cooed and Harry just wrapped his arms tighter around Niall's body.   
  
  
  
''C'mon, let's get you cleaned up,'' Niall stood up and walked to the bathroom. Harry followed him with his head down, trying to hide the obvious stain in his pants.  
  
  
  
Niall turned on the water and undressed while he waited for the water to warm up. Harry watched as Niall took off his shirt and pants. When Niall arrived at his boxers, he noticed Harry hadn't removed any clothing yet.  
  
  
  
''Are you going to shower fully clothed?'' Niall raised his eyebrows.  
  
  
  
''Well, I-I don't know...'' Harry awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.  
  
  
  
''C'mon, Harry. I've seen you naked before. Don't make it so difficult for yourself,'' Niall said softly as he walked up to Harry and helped him pull off his shirt. Then, Niall unbuttoned Harry's jeans and let them fall on the ground. He pecked Harry's lips and discarded his own boxers before stepping in the shower.  
  
  
  
Harry followed soon after, trying not to be embarrassed about the mess in his boxers. He stepped in the shower and Niall immediately attacked him with kisses. Suddenly, Harry remembered Niall saying to him that he had to tell him something. He grew curious and pulled away from Niall's lips to ask him.  
  
  
  
''What were you going to tell me?'' Harry asked as he lathered Niall's hair with shampoo.  
  
  
  
''Oh, yeah. Well, um, my mom told me yesterday that we're going to Ireland for a week to visit family,'' Niall said carefully.  
  
  
  
''No! But... A week is a really long time,'' Harry pouted and wrapped his arms around Niall's shoulders to pull him in for a hug.  
  
  
  
''It's not that long, Hazzy. It'll be over before you know it, I promise,'' Niall murmured in Harry's neck.  
  
  
  
''When are you leaving?'' Harry swayed them slowly from right to left.  
  
  
  
''Tomorrow evening,'' Niall replied.  
  
  
  
''Then I'll come with you to the airport, yeah?'' Harry pecked Niall's cheek and turned off the water.  
  
  
  
''Really?'' Niall beamed.  
  
  
  
''Of course, I have to wave goodbye to my boyfriend, right?'' Harry laughed.  
  
  
  
\----  
  
  
  
Friday and Saturday went by fast. Niall and Harry spent most of the time together at Harry's dorm or at Niall's house. They cuddled, watched some movies, played video games, met up with Louis, Eleanor and Liam and just enjoyed each others company. However, Niall's plane was about to board now and Harry wasn't letting go of him.   
  
  
  
''C'mon Haz, I'll be back in a week,'' Niall tried to wiggle his way out of Harry's tight embrace.  
  
  
  
Harry sighed dramatically. ''Promise to text or call me every day, yeah?''  
  
  
  
''Yes, I promise. Now let me go, I don't want to miss my plane,'' Niall giggled.  
  
  
  
''Okay, okay,'' Harry unwrapped his arms from Niall's neck and smiled sheepishly.  
  
  
  
''Bye,'' Niall simply said.  
  
  
  
''Bye,'' Harry grabbed Niall's face and kissed him. ''I'll miss you,'' he murmured against Niall's lips.  
  
  
  
''I'll miss you, too,'' Niall pulled away and turned to Louis, Liam and Eleanor. ''Take care of him, okay?''  
  
  
  
''Don't worry, I'll be there to listen to his babbling about how much he misses you,'' Louis pulled Niall in for a hug.  
  
  
  
Niall laughed as Harry slapped Louis on the back of his head. Niall walked up to Eleanor and Liam and hugged them too. Then, he followed his parents to the gate and waved until his boyfriend was out of sight.


	29. Epilogue

Almost a week later, Harry found himself sitting in class, tapping his pencil impatiently against his desk. This was his last class for the day and after that he would meet up with Louis, Eleanor and Liam to pick Niall up from the airport. He was excited to put it mildly. He had missed Niall, of course. Even though they had texted every day and sometimes even skyped. He had this longing to pull his boyfriend in his arms again and to kiss him again and to make him feel loved. 

 

''That's it for today, guys. You are dismissed,'' the teacher smiled kindly and ended her lecture. 

 

Harry sprang from his seat and dumped his books in his backpack. Usually, he waited a bit before leaving the lecture hall. He didn't like the bustle and rather waited so that the halls of the university were somewhat quieter. He'd talk to the teacher about the previous lecture or about everyday things. He got on well with the teachers and they didn't seem to find the little chat annoying either. 

 

But this Friday, he only waved goodbye to his teacher and ran out of the room to search for Louis and Eleanor. He made his way to the library, their usual meeting point. Sadly, his friends were nowhere to be seen, so he searched for an empty spot and sat down in a corner on a few big pillows. He grabbed The Great Gatsby from his backpack and began to read where he left off. 

 

He couldn't really focus on the book though. Nervous butterflies were buzzing around in his stomach and the thought of seeing Niall again made his heart flutter. He smiled as he thought about the late nights he had spent talking to Niall on the phone. Niall would tell him about his day and Harry'd tell him about what kind of prank Louis had done that day. They laughed a lot and it was perfect. Niall would make Harry giggle with flirty comments and Niall would blush in return as Harry would tell him how much he'd kiss him when they'd see each other again. 

 

Harry was lost in his thoughts and didn't hear Louis coming his way until he felt the pillows next to him shift.  

 

'''Hey, what're you reading?'' Louis plopped down next to him.

 

''The Great Gatsby,'' Harry answered, his thoughts still wandering to Niall.

 

''Ah, a classic,'' Louis shrugged off his backpack and got comfortable. ''You excited to see Niall again?''

 

''Yeah, I can't wait,'' Harry grinned.

 

''Lovesick fool,'' Louis shook his head laughing.

 

Harry just shrugged and turned his attention back to his book. But he couldn't read far before Eleanor entered the library and sat on Louis lap. Harry looked up from his book and saw Louis kissing Eleanor's cheek. Eleanor blushed faintly and wrapped her arms around Louis' neck while Louis smiled adoringly.  

 

''And you're saying  _I'm_  a lovesick fool? Have you seen yourself?'' Harry commented. Harry had loosened up a lot and was getting used to Louis smart comments. He wasn't so shy anymore and knew how to response to Louis' banters most of the time.

 

''Oi, Curly, are you grumpy because my boyfriend is here and yours isn't?'' Eleanor ruffled Harry's curls.

 

''Hey,'' Harry quickly fixed his hair. ''And speaking of my amazing boyfriend, we have to go!''

 

Harry stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder after putting his book away. Eleanor and Louis stood up too and followed Harry to the record store where they'd pick up Liam. Harry chatted excitedly on their way to the store. He talked about everything and nothing and it was kind of weird because Harry was never this talkative. 

 

''Harry, seriously, shut up,'' Louis snapped as Harry was just about to begin a new story about how Niall and him watched The Notebook for the third time and ended up crying again. 

 

''Sorry,'' Harry said sheepishly. 

 

''Thank God, we're here. Liam, it's your turn to listen to Harry's rambling,'' Louis said as soon as they entered the store.

 

''Is it really that bad?'' Liam asked laughing.

 

''Yes,'' Louis groaned dramatically. 

 

''Aw, I think it is cute, Harry,'' Eleanor patted Harry's shoulder. Harry beamed at her and thanked her for supporting him.

 

''Listen to your girlfriend, Lou, she's very wise,'' Harry retorted.

 

Louis just groaned and pulled Eleanor at his side again, slinging an arm over her shoulder. ''Alright, maybe it's sort of cute,'' he agreed.

 

''Good boy,'' Eleanor kissed his cheek which made Louis smile widely.

 

''Can we go now?'' Harry whined impatiently.

 

''Yeah, yeah, c'mon,'' Liam yelled a goodbye to his colleague and grabbed his jacket. 

 

Together, they walked to Louis' car. Louis had begged his dad to lend it to him and he succeeded. Harry thanked him a million times because now they wouldn't have to go with the public transport. Harry liked it better when it wasn't so busy and the train station is  _always_  busy. So that wasn’t really a nice place for him to go.

 

They hopped in the car and drove to Heathrow Airport where Niall would land in about two hours. It was only a 50 minutes drive from the University so they had enough time to get there. Harry fell silent on their way to the airport. He got lost in his thoughts and fantasies about seeing Niall again. He was looking forward to it and he knew Niall was too. Niall had told him enough times when they were on the phone or through texts. 

 

Before Harry knew it, they pulled up in front of the airport. Louis searched for a parking spot and found one not too far away. They met up with Greg, who couldn't go with Niall and his parents since he couldn't take time off from work, at the entrance. Harry introduced his friends to Niall's brother and they all shook hands. 

 

Then, they walked to the arrivals and waited for the plane to touch down. They waited an hour and Harry grew more impatient by the minute. He wanted Niall in his arms and he couldn’t want wait anymore. They waited some more and after 15 long minutes, the plane had finally grounded. 

 

Harry could see people arrive at the other side of the glass through the glass wall that separated the arrival hall from the baggage claim. A swarm of people walked around until Harry finally spotted the familiar blond locks that belonged to his boyfriend.

 

''There he is, Louis, there he is! Do you see him?'' Harry excitedly tugged on Louis arm like a child and pointed in Niall's direction.

 

''Oh, yeah! I see him,'' Louis smiled as he watched how Harry quickly fixed his hair and his clothes to look perfect for Niall.

 

They all stood up from their seats and walked closer to the door where Niall would walk through in a few minutes. Harry nervously wriggled his hands together and felt them getting clammy.

 

Niall walked through the doors with a wide smile on his face and Harry walked straight in his direction. When he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around Niall's neck and hugged him so tight, it was difficult to breath. Niall didn't seem to mind and pressed himself close by wounding his arms around Harry's waist. He buried his face in Harry's neck and Harry did the same. They stood like that for a minute until Harry pulled away to slam his lips on Niall's, his arms still tightly around Niall's neck.

 

''I missed you.''  _I love you_. It almost slipped past Harry's lips when he pulled away from their kiss. It felt so natural to think it, yet he was too scared to actually say it out loud.

 

''I missed you, too,'' Niall giggled softly and hugged Harry again. ''C'mon, people are staring at us,'' Niall whispered, laughing softly.

 

''Right,'' Harry laughed breathily. He laced his fingers with Niall's and walked over to Niall's family and their friends. 

 

''Welcome back, miss-''

 

''Maura and Bobby,'' Niall's mother interrupted Harry.

 

''Right,'' Harry blushed and Niall kissed his cheek.

 

''Can we have some love too, Niall?'' Louis pouted and opened his arms, signalling for Niall to hug him. 

 

''Oh sorry,'' Niall smiled and fell in Louis' arms, not letting go of Harry's hand. Then, he hugged Liam, Eleanor and Greg too.

 

''Let's go home,'' Greg suggested.

 

''Yeah,'' Harry followed Niall to Greg's car and waved goodbye to his friends since he was staying for dinner at Niall's place.

 

They arrived at Niall's home and Greg had already set the table and made dinner so he heated up the food and put everything on the table while Niall and Harry chatted with Niall's parents. Niall and Harry of course sat next to each other with their hands entwined in the middle. Niall told stories about Ireland and about what they had done in the past week. Harry listened and nodded every now and then. They enjoyed the food and had a great time together. 

 

After dinner, it was already dark outside. So Niall suggested that they could go watch the stars. Harry agreed and they squeezed together in one chair in the garden, their legs a tangled mess. They pressed close to each other because the chilly October wind was nipping at their skin. Niall pointed to the constellations and told Harry about them. Harry had already noticed that Niall had a strange interest in space and stars. Sometimes he wouldn't shut up about it. But it was okay, because Harry liked Niall's voice. Harry liked everything about Niall. 

 

''Niall?'' Harry interrupted Niall's story.

 

''Yeah?'' Niall turned his head to look at Harry.

 

''I love you,'' Harry simply said.

 

''I love you, too,'' Niall answered without missing a beat and leaned in to kiss Harry. 

 

This kiss was special. It wasn't like any of the other kisses they had shared. No, this one, it just stood out. Their lips moved slow and passionate and it felt like they were the only two people in the world. Nobody could bother them. And that was really the only thing Harry needed. He only needed a friend by his side like Niall. Someone who'd tell him he was good enough and that he didn’t have to change. And Niall filled up an empty space in his heart. They could conquer the world as long as they were together. It was perfect. 

 

T H E   E N D

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it guyyssss! I hope you liked reading my story! :) x

**Author's Note:**

> I already have the whole story done so just comment if you want me to post the next chapter!  
> xx ohcrapnarry


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